Densi Discussions
by Psyched
Summary: A collection of Densi or Densi-related discussions. Duh.
1. Cupcake Girls and a Boy

**AN:** I was going to name this compilation "Car Conversations," because I mostly think of these things when I'm on my long drive to or from work. But then I realized the first few ideas I have for it actually take place in a car, and I didn't want that to be the defining feature of all the rest of them (and I'm OCD enough that they would have had to). So for now, just consider this a place for me to put the brief (as a challenge to myself I'm trying to keep each under 1,000 words – minus the AN's, of course), unrelated conversations our favorite couple has in my head while I should be focusing on my driving.

This one is a post-ep for 767 (8x19): a discussion about Kensi's evening with her friends.

 **Spoilers:** Up through 767.

 **Disclaimer:** I don't own these characters and I'm not making any money from this. Though I wouldn't say no to taking an early retirement from my day job if someone wanted to pay me to be their private Densi fic writer.

* * *

"You're done early," Deeks observed when Kensi slid into his truck.

"I only went tonight to dance for a little while and plan the rest of the weekend. And it will be awesome!" Kensi practically sang. "Starting with brunch tomorrow, which you are expected to attend, by the way."

"Fantastic," Deeks muttered under his breath. "I thought for sure Kat, Mindy, Mandy, Tiffany, and Tiffani would have talked you into crashing at their hotel suite tonight, so you could all stay up late and gossip, paint each other's nails, and have pillow fights in your sexy lingerie." Deeks enjoyed the image in his minds' eye for a moment before he pulled away from the curb in front of the club.

"And pierce our ears after we sing about how virginal we aren't?"

"Kensi Marie Blye, did you just make a musical theater reference? How much did you drink tonight?"

She scoffed at that. "Hardly. I watched _Grease_ on video at an actual sleepover in, like, fifth grade. We did try to pierce our ears, though."

"Try? What happened?"

"We'd swiped and sterilized a sewing needle, numbed Dawn's lobe with an ice cube, and Debbie was holding a potato behind Dawn's ear while I was lining up the needle when Dawn's mom came in and put a stop to our fun."

Deeks let out a chuckle. "Did you get in trouble?"

"Are you kidding? My mother was so happy I was taking an interest in anything remotely girly that she took me the next day to get my ears pierced at the mall." She smirked before responding to his earlier question, "And I drank a ton; all of it club soda. I told you I could have driven myself."

"Yeah, but I wanted you to be able to have fun with your friends, let loose a little."

"There will be plenty of letting loose with the girls tomorrow night." Kensi's look was seductive as she placed her hand on Deeks' thigh. "Tonight, I want to let loose with you."

"Oh dear god, yes," Deeks swallowed hard. "So what did you say to the Cupcake Girls to get them to agree to cut tonight short?"

"First, they're still at the club dancing their asses off, it's not like they had to leave. Second, I told them that you and I were interrupted this morning, and that I _really_ needed to finish what we started."

"You said that?!"

"Why wouldn't I? It's the truth."

"But they'll know we're having sex tonight! I won't be able to look at them tomorrow."

"Deeks, they know about our sex life already. Trust me, you have nothing to be embarrassed about."

"Yeah? Like what?" Deeks didn't know if he should be intrigued or worried. "What kind of things do you tell them about me?"

"I'm not telling you what I tell them."

"But it's about me!"

"Fine. Let's just say they know that I'm typically _very_ happy with our sex life."

"Wait, typically? So sometimes you're not?"

"No, it's nothing like that, baby. Seriously, you'd know it if I was unhappy." Kensi squeezed Deeks' leg lightly and ran her hand further up his thigh. "But I was sharing with them how difficult things were for me during my recovery, you know, not just physically, but mentally and emotionally, too. And that it had been a really long time since we'd been together. They think you're the best thing since Uber, by the way, for going without sex for that long. When I mentioned that things were just getting interesting this morning before you were called into work, they were more than happy to let me skip out early tonight."

"Huh. So I'm like the best boyfriend in the world, as far as they're concerned."

"As far as I'm concerned, too." Kensi leaned over and kissed him on the cheek. "But that that's not even the half of it. They were ready to kick me out of the Cupcake Girls and rename themselves Cupcake Girls and a Boy."

"What!"

"You would have taken my place in the name line-up, too: Kat, Marty, Mindy, Mandy, Tiffany, and Tiffani."

"Wait, this is because you weren't ready for sex for a few months?"

"Babe, it's been more than a _few_ months. But no, this is because I wouldn't let you propose when I was in the hospital. Also, because I had the gall to remain in a coma when you proposed _and_ put a ring on my finger the time before that. If it wasn't for the Cupcake Girl Code, Tiffany-with-a-y would have shoved me aside and jumped into the truck with you tonight to help you, and I quote: 'Forget all about Kensi, who obviously doesn't know a good thing when he gets down on one knee and tries to ask her to marry him.'"

"Uh, wow. Okay, I definitely won't be able to look _her_ in the eye tomorrow."

Kensi smiled as they pulled into their garage, "I'll tell you what. Let's go inside and finish what was so rudely interrupted earlier. Then tomorrow morning, we'll do it all again, and if you're too tired to come to brunch after that, I'll make an excuse for you."

"Yeah well, it would have to be a hell of an excuse, Kensalina. Like maybe I pulled a hammy because we were particularly acrobatic. Or you know, that I was able to…uh, perform about a dozen times. Which, of course means that you were, um, satisfied at least twenty times."

Kensi grabbed a handful of Deeks' hair and yanked him toward her for a searing kiss as he was about to open his car door. "Then I suggest we get started on that sooner than later." She had her shirt off before she made it to the garage door.

"Oh dear god, yes," Deeks said again, in what would become his mantra for the night. And the next morning.


	2. What's in the Bag?

**AN:** This takes place sometime after 767 (8x19), once Kensi finally gets her groove back with Deeks, but before From Havana With Love (8x20). Took a lot of creative carving to whittle this down under 1,000 words, but I did it!

 **Spoilers:** Up through 767

 **Disclaimer:** Nope. Nada.

* * *

"Kens?" Deeks asked as they drove home.

"Hmm?"

"What's in the bag?" He nodded at the shopping bag tucked behind the driver's seat.

"A pair of shoes, on loan from Hetty for the night," she said simply.

Deeks chuckled in disbelief. Hetty was notorious for her refusal to lend items from wardrobe for personal use. "Yeah, right. C'mon, baby, what's really in the bag?"

Kensi shrugged. "Take a look for yourself."

Like a kid on Christmas morning he grabbed the bag and pulled it into his lap. Peeking in, Deeks let out a sound of surprise as he reached in and took out a Louboutin shoebox. He whistled as he pulled out a black patent leather pump with a four-inch super-fine stiletto heel from one soft cloth bag. Turning it over in his hand, Deeks admired the characteristic red sole. He then took a moment to admire the image that popped into his mind's eye: Kensi wearing them. And nothing else.

"Umm, so when you said these are on loan from Hetty, you obviously meant that you _schtole_ them, right?"

"Nope. She let me borrow them." Kensi gave him a smoldering look, "And I have plans for them, and you, tonight."

"Kens. Kensi. Kensalina. You know how much I love you. And I am fully aware of your mad skills as an operator. But I don't believe for one second that you talked Hetty into lending you those shoes so we can play sexy secretary and enticing executive later."

"Seriously? I bring home the hottest shoes you'll probably ever see me in, especially when they're probably _all_ you'll see me in, and you call me a liar?" Kensi shook her head in ersatz disappointment.

"Okay, no, that's not what I meant."

"Well then you'd better explain yourself before I turn around and bring them back."

"Princess. Sunshine. Love of my life. It's just that, this is Hetty Lange we're talking about. And this much is true about her: _no_ _one_ on our team has enough game to get her to loan out something from wardrobe."

"Well, apparently _I_ do," Kensi bragged.

"That's a story you're going to have to share, then. Please, Special Agent Blye, impart upon me your wisdom, so that I too may someday aspire to pull one over on Hetty Lange."

"I know you're mocking me, Deeks, but I don't care. I am the ultimate operator! Better than you, Callen, and Sam, as you just pointed out. And you and I will celebrate that fact tonight." Kensi winked playfully at her man.

Deeks smiled warmly, enjoying Kensi's ebullience. It was good to finally have his ladybird all the way back. "So how'd you do it? I really want to know how you scammed Hetty out of a pair of six hundred dollar Louboutins."

Deeks sounded sincere and curious now, so Kensi explained, "Scammed is such a hash word, babe. I was simply honing my undercover skills, and making sure I'm in top form and ready for anything. Those shoes, which cost closer to seven hundred dollars, by the way, are part of that."

"Or so you told Hetty."

"Exactly. We both know the best cover stories have a basis in truth." Kensi saw Deeks nod in agreement out of the corner of her eye. "I shared with Hetty my concern that I haven't walked in stilettos since my recovery, and that I thought I should practice before it became necessary."

"And she fell for that?"

"You obviously don't appreciate what it takes to walk in those things, given the height and narrowness of a stiletto! They throw off your balance and provide less stability and support than other heels."

"I happen to be very aware that the higher the heel, the more it shifts the center of balance. Which is why you ladies have to stick out your…assets…more, to compensate. And you better believe I _appreciate_ that, Kensalina."

"Anyway, I told Hetty was nervous about walking in stilettos again, and asked if I could borrow a pair to practice at home."

"And she didn't ask why you couldn't do that at the mission?" Deeks wondered as they pulled into their driveway.

"Of course she did." Now Kensi lowered her voice, and sounded uncertain, "But I was pretty self-conscious when I was learning to walk in rehab, and if I'm going to wobble around again, I'd rather do in the privacy of my own home." Here she drew in a hesitant breath, "And have Deeks there, just in case I need someone to steady me." Kensi gave Deeks a sly smile when she was done.

Deeks grinned proudly, "Kensi Marie Blye, you evil genius. Even if Hetty thought you were running game on her, she would never contradict you when you played the 'I couldn't even walk a few months ago' card."

"I'm just happy it worked. The first time I tried to use the 'I was in a coma and woke up partially paralyzed' line, it failed miserably. Thought maybe I'd lost my touch."

"Oh, I can tell you with utmost confidence, Princess, you have _not_ lost your touch."

Kensi's smile turned seductive again. "Let's go inside so I can practice walking around in these things for a little while, Mr. Enticing Executive. Just keep in mind they need to be in the same pristine condition when I return them tomorrow."

"Hetty couldn't have loaned you a cheaper pair?"

"Where's the challenge in getting something Hetty doesn't care much about?" Kensi turned on the insecure voice again, "I hate to ask, but I think the better the quality of the shoe, the steadier I'll be."

Deeks laughed and kissed her soundly, his smile all promise, his eyes alight with hunger, "That's my girl. And don't worry about it." He kissed her again, but lingered this time. "I guarantee they'll barely even touch the floor tonight, darlin'."


	3. My Hair Hurts

**AN:** No spoilers, just established Densi. And no, I still don't own anything, except long hair, a scrunchie, and empathy for Kensi's plight.

* * *

"I can't wait to get home and into a nice, long, hot shower," Kensi groaned as she drove them home from work. "I don't think there's enough shampoo in the world to wash my hair. My scrunchie could probably dissolve and my hair would still stay in place."

Deeks raised an eyebrow. "Considering I was at your side every step of the way these past forty-eight hours, I hope that's a joint shower you're fantasizing about, partner."

"Obviously." She smiled at him, "One of the benefits of spending a couple of very intense days hunting for bombs and then narrowly escaping an exploding building is getting to clean off all the grime with you."

"Kensi Marie Blye, that is one of the most romantic things you've ever said to me!" Deeks teased sweetly. "And just for that, you get a head start on your wish, right now." He reached over and pulled the scrunchie from her high ponytail. As Deeks started to run his fingers through her hair, Kensi gasped in pain.

"OW! Stop, that hurts!"

"What the hell, Kens? Are you okay? Did you get hit with shrapnel or something?" Deeks yanked his hand away but didn't see any blood. He touched her again, more gently this time, intent on making sure she hadn't been injured by flying debris earlier.

"No, no, no, don't touch it!" Kensi moaned, titling her head away while keeping her eyes on the road. "I'm fine. It's just that my hair hurts."

"I'm sorry, what? Your _hair_ hurts?"

"Yes, my hair hurts. It's been pulled back tightly for two days, and now that it's loose, it hurts."

Deeks tried his best to hold back a laugh because he could see his ladybird was serious, but he'd never heard of such a thing. Because it wasn't possible. Calmly, he said, "Baby, you do realize that there are no nerves in your hair, right? And therefore it cannot feel pain?"

"Yes, Deeks, I get that," Kensi snapped at him. "It's actually my scalp that hurts, but the pain feels like it radiates into my hair. And you touching it makes it hurt more, so please stop." She ended her response kinder than she started it.

"Okay, I'll back off until the shower," Deeks held his hands up in surrender. "But just so I'm clear on this, Bad-Ass Blye can get hit by cars and walk away without complaint, but whines that her hair hurts?"

"Says the man who cries when he gets a hangnail," Kensi retorted easily.

"Yeah, because those really do hurt! Wait until the guys hear about this."

"Don't you dare tell Callen and Sam!"

"Why not? Afraid they'll take back your Bad-Ass badge?"

"If you say anything, I'll tell them –" Kensi stopped abruptly.

"What?" Deeks asked suspiciously.

"I don't know yet, but I'll think of something."

"Finally, a benefit to them already thinking that I'm _sensitive_. And now they'll know that you are too," Deeks sang gleefully.

"You know what? I have a better idea."

"What's that?"

"You put a section of your hair in a tight tail for an entire day this weekend and see if you still feel the need to say anything to them afterward."

"Deal." Deeks rubbed his hands together in anticipation. "Easiest bet I'll ever win."

* * *

Sunday morning, Kensi woke Deeks by lightly tracing patterns on his bare back. He looked ridiculous, with a single pigtail sticking out from the crown of his head, but that didn't deter her.

"Mmm, morning Sugar Bear," Deeks mumbled, turning over to face her.

"Good morning," Kensi whispered as she continued to draw a path from his shoulder to his chest and further down.

"It certainly is," Deeks took her hand from his chest and kissed the palm before leaning in to meet her lips. One kiss led to two, which led to longer and hungrier kisses. Before long, Deeks rolled Kensi onto her back and hovered above her.

Kensi ran her hands up and down Deeks' well-toned back and arms before she played them through his hair. When she came to the elastic binding the pigtail, she gently but quickly tugged it out, realizing it had been in for the requisite twenty-four hours. Kensi immediately began fingering the now free hair.

"Ow, _ow_ , OW! Fraggle Rock!" Deeks all but shouted as he withdrew from Kensi's embrace. "What are you _doing_?"

"Nothing," Kensi answered innocently. "I just freed your glorious Viking locks, then ran my fingers through them. Why? Did it hurt?" She didn't succeed in biting back a smirk.

"No, no, not at all," Deeks was unconvincing as he gingerly placed his own hand on the area and winced.

"Uh huh. Admit it, Deeks. Your. Hair. Hurts." Kensi poked a finger into his abdomen with each word.

Deeks slammed his eyes shut as he brushed through his hair experimentally. "My hair hurts. A _lot_ ," he confessed, voice full of pain and confusion. "How is that even possible?"

"Do you want me to look it up, or would you rather I kiss it and make it better?"

"No, no, no, don't touch it!" Deeks squealed, exactly like Kensi had just days before.

"Aww, poor baby," Kensi was empathetic. "How about I kiss you somewhere else to distract you from the pain?"

"Yeah? You'd do that for me after I doubted you?"

At Kensi's look, Deeks continued, "And made fun of you."

"Of course. I love you and there's nothing I wouldn't do for you. But you're going to say it, first."

Deeks sighed. He knew he wasn't getting off, pun intended, that easily. "You were right, your hair can hurt."

"And?"

"You get to keep your Bad-Ass badge."

"And?"

"I won't tell the guys."

"You got that right." Kensi rolled Deeks over and straddled his hips. "Now let me show you how very good bad-ass can be."


	4. You Haven't Said Yes Yet

**AN** : [standing up in front of everyone] "Hello, my name is Psyched and I'm addicted to writing Densi proposal fics." Sigh. They say the first step is admitting you have a problem. I say TPTB can cure me of my addiction if they give us a good proposal and actual engagement tonight. Problem solved, right?

I had no intention of writing yet another proposal story (What is this, my fifth? And what kind of fool am I to post this on the same day that starvingstudent and Sweet Lu updated their stories and think that anyone will read it?) but I needed a way to spend some time waiting for the real one that better be happening later today. That said, credit for this one goes to Ed from wikiDeeks, who proposed (sorry, getting punchy here) the ending scenario of this story and then graciously offered to let any fic writer run with it. Hope I did it justice, Ed.

Also, I don't own, nor have I ever eaten at a Baby's Badass Burgers food truck. I simply searched the internet for real LA food trucks, and the names of their burgers worked the story.

Spoilers for Uncaged (8x23).

* * *

"Home is that way, Magellan," Deeks pointed behind them as they passed their freeway exit. It'd been a hellish couple of days, and as much as he didn't relish having the time to reflect on the missed opportunities of the past forty-eight hours, he was looking forward to finally being home.

"I'm not ready to go home yet," Kensi confessed.

"No? I was just fantasizing about a hot shower, our comfy bed, maybe some cuddle time."

"Which one of us is going to wake up screaming first?" Kensi glanced at Deeks and then back at the road. "Who is going to come up with more ways we could have figured it out sooner? That Michelle was in that building, _alive_ , when we were there the first time?"

This was exactly what he didn't want to consider right now. "Kens, don't do this to yourself." Deeks gently pried her right hand from the steering wheel and laced their fingers together.

"I can't help it." Nor could she stop the tear that ran down her cheek. "But I can't go home right now. I need…I don't know, I need something to distract me for a while."

"Want to head to the beach, watch the sunset? Grab some grub from a truck, place bets on how long the best surfer out there can ride a wave?"

Kensi nodded and planned the best route to their favorite spot. They didn't speak again until the SRX pulled into the parking lot.

"Sweet!" Deeks exclaimed, "Baby's Badass Burgers is here. I can really go for another woman tonight." If his ladybird needed a distraction, he'd give her a distraction.

"Excuse me?" Kensi challenged as they got out of the car.

He played dumb. "My favorite burger there. You know, the one with bacon, sautéed onions, ranch dressing, and bleu cheese? It's called The Other Woman."

She rolled her eyes and shook her head, a small chuckle escaping her lips. "Guess I can go Au Naturale, then," Kensi played along, referring to the truck's veggie burger.

"Touché, Kensalina. And I fully support your desire to go _au naturel_ any time you want, for the record."

Ten minutes later they were sitting on a seawall, bottles of water tucked between their legs as they ate their burgers and talked about nothing of consequence. "I don't know what it is, but this is one of the best burgers ever," Deeks raved as he finished his.

"I think it has more to do with the Burger Babe making and serving it than anything else," Kensi accused as she swiped a couple of the Sweetie Pie Fries they were sharing before Deeks could.

"I can't help it if I appreciate the human form. Must be my artists' soul."

"Especially when that form has D-cup breasts and is wearing a tight tank top."

"Eh, more than a handful is a waste," he shrugged. "But I sure am glad I have big hands, sweetie pie." Deeks wiggled his eyebrows and smiled winningly at Kensi.

She laughed and bumped into his shoulder, "Nice save. On both counts." As Kensi finished her burger, she marveled at how easily Deeks could make her smile and laugh no matter the situation. It wasn't the first time she'd appreciated this about him, but she was more grateful for it today than ever before.

Thirty minutes talking with Deeks and her heart felt lighter than it had for two days. Kensi wanted to prolong the feeling, and hopefully share it with him. And she thought she knew exactly how. When he returned from tossing their trash in a nearby can, Kensi asked, "Hey, do you still carry my ring around with you?"

"Maybe," he hedged, remembering that he was not supposed to show it to her until…when? Deeks was replaying that conversation in his head when Kensi's voice broke through his memories.

"I'd like to see it again. Maybe even try it on this time. I think it'll help lift my spirits a little more."

"Oh no, I'm not falling for that, princess. I can keep a promise. No ring for you," he turned on the weird accent he'd used that day in the courtyard at the VA hospital.

"You did keep your promise! You weren't supposed to show it to me again until I was out of the hospital. I've been home for months now. Some might even argue that you're overdue in letting me see it," Kensi taunted.

"Well, we can't have that, can we?" Deeks declared as he reached into his pocket. He held the ring out for Kensi to take, but instead she presented her left hand to him, palm down. Deeks raised his eyebrows, "You sure about this?"

Kensi bit her lip and nodded, never taking her eyes from his. He found her hand and slid the ring on the correct finger without breaking their gaze. Several long moments later, Deeks managed to look down at her hand in his. "Yup, still spectacular, if I do say so myself," he whispered, his voice for some reason suddenly rough.

Wiggling her fingers so the diamonds reflected the waning light better, Kensi agreed, "It really is, Deeks. I'll be proud to wear this every day."

"When the time comes, I'll be proud to see it on your hand every day." With that, he opened his palm expectantly.

"What?" Kensi asked innocently, quickly closing her hand into a fist so Deeks couldn't remove the ring.

"Time to give it back. You haven't said yes yet," he reminded her.

"You haven't asked ye –" she stopped before finishing that thought, catching the look of rebuttal on Deeks' face. "Recently," she corrected.

Deeks studied her intently, trying to figure out if Kensi was in fact saying what he hoped she was saying.

Kensi settled it when she demanded, "So ask already, before I do. Because I'm not taking this ring off."

They wore matching smiles when one of them asked, "Will you marry me?" and the other answered, "Yes."


	5. A Beautiful Memory

3:17am. December 20, 2017

Deeks woke to the sound of a deluge. Cracking an eye open, he saw it was still dark outside and smiled to himself. He particularly liked overnight storms, so he could cuddle with Kensi and drift back to sleep listening to the pouring rain, happy he didn't have to be out in it.

When Deeks turned to spoon his fiancée, he found Kensi's side of the bed empty. Reaching out and running his hands over the sheets, he decided she'd been gone for a while. Hearing a rumble of thunder, Deeks knew where Kensi was.

He got out of bed and tugged on sweatpants, socks, a long-sleeved tee, and a hoodie. He traipsed across the living room and into the kitchen, where he pulled a huge mug from a cabinet and searched around for a couple of specific pods for the Keurig. He puttered around the kitchen quietly, not that it mattered since Kensi certainly couldn't hear him from where she was.

A few minutes later, Deeks opened the sliding door to the covered patio at the back of their house. Sure enough, his ladybird was huddled on a chaise lounge, a blanket from the spare bedroom wrapped around her like a cocoon.

Kensi turned her head at the sound of the door. "Hey," she greeted as she scooted further toward the foot of the lounge and started to untangle herself from the bedspread.

Deeks slid in behind her, legs straddling the chaise. He handed the cup to Kensi and rearranged the blanket so it enveloped both of them. Kissing Kensi's neck as he settled in and drew her back against him, Deeks observed, "You're cold."

"Mmm, but you're warm." Getting a whiff from the mug in her hand, Kensi was pleasantly surprised. "And you brought me hot cocoa."

"With marshmallows. Who's better than me?"

"Absolutely no one. And to thank you, I'm going to share my cocoa."

Deeks smiled against the side of Kensi's face. He rested his chin on her shoulder and tightened his arms around her. "So tell me," he whispered.

"What?"

"Why you're outside in an exceedingly rare December thunderstorm in the middle of the night."

"You know why."

"So tell me again. I like the story."

Kensi took a sip of the hot chocolate before letting out a deep breath. "We lived on base at Camp Lejeune for a while when I was a kid. Lots of thunderstorms in North Carolina. My dad was on deployment when I developed a fear of them."

"Hard to imagine little Kensi Blye afraid of anything."

"Yeah, Dad wasn't having any of it, either. When he saw my reaction the next time he was home and it stormed, he took me by the hand and sat me on his lap on the front stoop. We were barely kept dry by the overhang of the roof, but it was enough."

"And he told you all about the angels bowling up in heaven," Deeks prompted when Kensi was quiet for too long. He felt her grin at that.

"No, he told me you could see the individual drops of rain if you looked at the ground and saw them splash back up. And if you watched a puddle, you could see the rings get bigger as the energy from the drops traveled. By the time you could do that, the storm was nearing the end. Until then, we listened to the way the rain sounded when it fell on various surfaces. The roof, the sidewalk, the car, the lawn."

"And the thunder? How'd Daddy Blye make that less scary?"

"He'd have me listen for the different sounds of it, you know, depending on how far it was. When was still far away, he said it reminded him of my belly rumbling when I was hungry."

"Really?" Deeks' voice pitched higher in disbelief. "Far away? Cause I'm thinking your stomach sounds like a boomer that's really, _really_ close."

"Ha. So not funny." Kensi turned her head to give Deeks a quick peck on the cheek. "But speaking of, Dad pointed out that when they _were_ nearby, you could feel the thunder claps as well as hear them. And he explained that thunder is really the sound of lightning making a sonic shock wave, and that's why you can track how close the storm is by counting the seconds between thunder and lightning."

"You must have loved that." He knew she did.

Kensi nodded and took another sip of the cocoa before silently offering it to Deeks. He shook his head and she put it down on the patio. "When he made me pay attention to the lightning, how sometimes it's diffuse and lights up the whole sky like a sputtering lightbulb, while sometimes the bolts are so bright and discreet that they leave afterimages in the darkness, I was hooked."

Deeks loved picturing that scene: a five-year-old, pig-tailed Kensi cradled on her father's lap oohing and aahing over a thunderstorm while it raged right in front of them. Deeks also loved imagining Kensi sharing the experience with their own children one day.

He kissed the side of her head tenderly, "It's a beautiful memory, baby."

"Every storm after that when Dad was home, we'd sit and watch together. When he was deployed, I'd watch alone and hope he was somewhere he could see it too."

"I'm sure he's watching this one with you, Kens. In fact, I think he probably conjured it up just for you, so you'd know you're not alone, especially today."

She'd had a similar thought when the thunder woke her earlier. Today was the twentieth anniversary of her father's death and Kensi had been missing him acutely. She couldn't think of a better way to commemorate the occasion than sitting outside in the middle of the night, wrapped in Deeks' arms, enjoying a storm and sharing stories of her dad.

Kensi pulled him tighter around her and whispered, "Like you, I'm never alone, Deeks."

* * *

 **AN:** It's a good thing I have a day job, because this one pays squat (though your reviews are priceless!). Oh, maybe that's because I don't own NCIS: LA or anything to do with it.

I have a post-ep for Unleashed (8x24) in the works, but I think it's too sad for me to write right now. While not exactly happy, I wrote the bulk of this a few weeks ago after being woken up in the middle of the night by an awesome thunderstorm. While not as talkative as Don Blye, my dad taught me to appreciate storms, and we used to sit at a window or the screen door and watch them blow through.


	6. I Got You

**AN** : Thanks to everyone who has read, reviewed, favorited, and/or followed this collection. I especially appreciate those of you who take the time to leave a review; it always makes me happy to hear what people think of my writing. I had planned on posting so many stories this summer, and I promise I've been writing. Problem is, I haven't been finishing. I have a multi-chapter story in the works (three chapters done, and a lot of notes on where it will go next), plus three other one-shots either started or outlined enough that they ought to be able to write themselves at this point.

As for this little scene, we take another break from the light fluff of most of the previous chapters. Deeks and Kensi are engaged in this story, though, so that's good, right? I still don't own NCIS: LA, though, and that's bad.

* * *

"'At Last _,_ ' Etta James."

"Too cliché."

"'Fly Me to the Moon,' Sinatra."

"What are we, ninety, Deeks?"

He continued scrolling on his phone as Kensi drove them home after work. "This is it! 'I Got You, Babe,' Sonny and Cher."

"No. Just, no."

"What? Why not? It's a classic, fun, love song by a married couple." Deeks started crooning, changing some of the pronouns, "'And when _you're_ sad, _I'm_ a clown. And if I get scared, you're always around. Don't let them say _my_ hair's too long 'cause I don't care, with you I can't go wrong. Then put your little hand in mine, there ain't no hill or mountain we can't climb.' With lyrics like those, this song was practically written for us, Kensalina."

"Deeks, our first dance at our wedding will not be to Sonny and Cher."

"Fine. But it's a great song. Hey, how about we sing it together at karaoke one night instead?"

Kensi shook her head, "You know I don't sing with anyone, no matter how tipsy I need to be to even get up there by myself."

Deeks thought about that. He'd never realized it before, but Kensi was right, she never sang with him. Not at karaoke, which, granted, they didn't do that often. But not in the car, either, and Deeks did that all the time. "Why not? We, almost literally, do everything else together."

When she didn't immediately respond, Deeks continued, "I mean, I get it. My honeyed voice is so mellifluous, I can't really blame you for not wanting to share that particular spotlight with me. Your voice is perfectly…passable, though. But don't worry about it, I can carry us."

Kensi remained silent and let her partner in almost everything ramble on.

"I know!" Deeks said excitedly as he began to tap on his phone. "Let's do this, right here, right now, just us."

"What are you talking about?"

"Sing with me, Kens. We'll put _Carpool Karaoke_ and _Caraoke Showdown_ to shame."

"I told you, I have to be drunk. And even then, only under duress and never with someone else."

"Found it!" Deeks tapped one last time on the screen and Kensi heard the opening strains of "I Got You, Babe" coming from its speaker. He looked at her expectantly, "C'mon, Sugar Cher, start us off."

When the only voice he heard was that of the future pop star and not his fiancée, Deeks frowned, but let the song play. Putting the phone next to his mouth like a microphone, Deeks sang when it was his turn, "'Well I don't know if all that's true, 'cause you got me, and baby I got you. Babe,' Together now, Kens, 'I got you babe. I got you babe.'"

Deeks couldn't help the ache that wormed its way into his chest. For as much as he thought he understood Kensi, he just didn't get what was going on with her right now. He stopped the music. "Kens? What's up? Why won't you sing with me?"

She hated knowing that she'd hurt him, but Kensi just couldn't do this right now. "Look Deeks, there's nothing to get upset about. I don't even sing in the car when I'm alone. Why do you think I listen to techno?"

"Okay, now I know you're lying. Who doesn't occasionally belt one out alone in the car? That's just un-American. Unless of course you're stuck in traffic. Then people look at you funny."

Kensi shook her head adamantly, "I don't. I don't sing in the car, and I don't sing with anyone else."

"Why not?"

She shrugged, trying to play it off, "No reason, really. Like you said, at best my voice is barely passable, so why would I?" She pulled into their driveway and made to get out of the car.

Deeks wasn't buying it. He took her wrist in hand as she was unfastening her seatbelt. "Uh-uh, no way. What's this about, Kensi?"

"It's nothing," she said, gently trying to tug away. Deeks' tender tone would be her undoing soon. She laid her hand over his, and when he loosened his grasp on her wrist, Kensi deftly moved to detach the seatbelt and escape the car.

Deeks didn't budge as he watched her walk along the side of the SRX and lean against the rear hatch. When he approached her less than a minute later, Kensi was sitting on the bumper, her eyes on the sunset. He caught her hand again, threaded his fingers between hers, and calmly spoke, "Please don't walk away from me, Kensi. It kills me when you do that."

She whispered, "I'm not walking away. I just needed some air."

"What's going on, baby?"

Kensi closed her eyes and slowly shook her head, a discomfited look on her face. "It's stupid, please forget it."

"Not if it's got you this upset."

"It makes me sad," she blurted, and then saw his confusion. "Singing. In the car, or with someone."

Now he just seemed baffled.

On a sigh, Kensi elaborated, "We used to sing all the time when I was driving somewhere with my dad, to whatever songs we both knew. We made a game out of it, to see who knew the most words." A tear fell and Kensi quickly wiped it away.

"I don't get it, though. You usually love doing things you used to share with your dad. Hiking, fixing stuff, messing around under my truck," this last he said with a grin and a shoulder bump.

Kensi tried to smile, but failed. "I know. Those things make me happy. I can't explain it, but singing in the car, or even the thought of doing it with you, it just makes me sad. It makes me miss him so much more." With that, the tears started falling in earnest.

Deeks stood up and pulled Kensi into his arms, the only comfort he could offer. He whispered soothingly in her ear, "Let it out, baby. It's okay. I got you."


	7. Good Moms

**AN** : This is a missing moment from Sirens (8x10). You know, the one where Kensi kicks the moms out and (with suspiciously perfect timing!) "Sullivan" magically appears. But don't worry, Sullivan/Ferris doesn't make an appearance in this. Neither do Kensi or Deeks, for that matter (it does say Densi or _Densi-related_ discussions in the description, after all). This takes place when the smothers find a bar and commiserate over drinks.

Another chapter should be up next week and promises nothing but Densi fluff.

* * *

Being the first patrons of the day at the wine bar, Julia and Roberta had their pick of tables. Roberta suggested they sit at the bar to get their drinks faster.

"It's early yet, so I think I'll have some cava rosé, please," Julia requested of the young female bartender, as she settled herself on a tall chair.

"It's nighttime somewhere," Roberta said. "Make mine a Beefeater martini, dirty."

Their drinks arrived quickly, and the women clinked glasses.

"To bratty kids," toasted Roberta.

"And good moms," finished Julia.

After taking a healthy sip of her drink, Roberta said, "Nah, they're actually good kids, aren't they? That Kensi of yours is a real spitfire. She keeps my Martin on his toes, and I have to admire that. She'll get back to a hundred percent, I just know it."

"Thank you. Marty is such a wonderful young man, so kind and respectful. And the way he's been by her side through Kensi's hospitalization and recovery…she's in good hands with him."

"He loves her so much, you can see it the way he looks at her."

"You know, before they got together, I could tell there was something special between them. I don't think even they realized it at the time."

"You met Martin before they started dating? He only introduced me to Kensi four months before she moved in with him."

"Well, only because Marty needed to take me into protective custody." At Roberta's raised eyebrows, Julia explained, "There was a… dangerous man who was looking for Kensi, and he came to my house hoping to find her. Not long after he left, Marty showed up and introduced himself as a cop who worked with Kensi."

"Why didn't Kensi just call and tell you to get out of the house?"

"Up until later that day, I hadn't seen or spoken with her for fifteen years." Julia dropped her chin in regret. "Marty promised me that I'd see Kensi again if I went with him, and even though I didn't believe him, I went anyway because I was desperate to know anything about her. But she showed up that night, and your son was the reason. He gave me my daughter back."

"Fifteen years? How did that happen?" Martin had shared that Kensi and her mother hadn't always been close, but Roberta could never pry more out of him.

Julia spoke with sadness, "I made some stupid mistakes and Kensi was a stubborn teenager. Then I made it worse by staying away because it was what she wanted, even though it's not what a good mother would have done. But what's important is that we're back in each other's lives now."

"Don't beat yourself up over it, Julia. At least your mistakes didn't result in Kensi having to shoot her dad."

Julia nearly choked on the sip she was taking, "What?" Kensi once hinted that Marty didn't have a happy childhood, but hadn't shared the details.

"Martin's good-for-nothing father was an alcoholic who used to beat me pretty regularly. When he was old enough to start defending me, the louse turned on our boy as well. One day he was going to kill me, and probably Martin next. But Martin shot him first."

"It's a good thing he became a cop."

Roberta shook her head, "He was eleven."

Julia put her hand on the other woman's arm, "How horrible. I'm sorry that happened to you both."

"No child should have to go through what my Martin did. And I let it happen." Roberta took another drink, "So much for toasting to good moms. It's a wonder our kids turned out as terrific as they did."

"You raised him well despite your husband, and then alone after that, right? You're a big part of the reason he's the compassionate, loving, brave man that he is."

Roberta nodded her acknowledgement of the compliment. "And you were there in Kensi's early years, which is so important. Didn't you raise her alone much of that time too, while her dad was on deployment?"

"Yes, and yet she still aspired to be like Don more than she ever wanted to emulate me," Julia grinned ruefully.

"I'm thankful every day that Martin didn't grow up to be like his father." Roberta chuckled, "No offense, but sometimes I think Kensi's more of the man in that relationship."

Julia bit back a smile, "Well, they definitely complement each other perfectly." She leaned over and whispered to her friend, "And I have a feeling he handles her much better than we did this morning."

"Amen to that," Roberta agreed before signaling the bartender for another round. "Now if we can just get Martin to propose while Kensi's awake, we'll have more to toast to."

"He was so nervous when he asked for my blessing, not long before Kensi was hurt. I think he was concerned I might say no, or at least reveal some disapproval of him as Kensi's husband."

"Yeah, he worries sometimes that he's not good enough for her, I can tell."

"He shouldn't; he's perfect for her. I'm not sure Marty believes just how much Kensi needs and wants him. She wouldn't accept less than the best, and I told him that."

"Aww, you're going to be a great mother-in-law to my boy."

"I already love him like he's my own. And Kensi's lucky to have you as her mother-in-law."

When their fresh drinks arrived, Roberta held hers up. "To good in-laws!"

"And good friends," Julia smiled at her future co-mother-in-law.

They sipped and Roberta toasted again, "To Kensi's continued recovery."

"To Marty, who's always there for her," Julia added.

"To their long, happy marriage," Roberta continued.

"And lots of grandchildren!" wished Julia.

"Yes! After they get married, we need to get them working on grandbabies right away."

"I really do like the way you think."

Roberta put her arm around Julia's shoulder, "And I know just what to do…."


	8. Not a Complaint

**AN** : Happy Hump-Day, y'all! As promised, here's some pointless fluff for you. I have no idea where it came from. Slight spoilers for 767 (8x19), with canon-compliant (read: engaged and totally in love) Densi.

Though it wasn't the intent, this little ficlet conveniently answers the question of why Kensi was sleeping on the left side of the bed in 767 (even though if you look carefully, her alternator is on the nightstand on the right side, plus there's a scarf of some sort hanging from the headboard on that side) when she proclaimed in Neighborhood Watch (3x22) that she could only sleep on the right side. You're welcome, show. As a thank-you, how about part ownership?

* * *

Deeks returned from a mid-night trip to the bathroom to find Kensi holding the covers up for him to slip back under. "Thanks, babe," he whispered. "I tried not to wake you."

"'S'okay," she mumbled her assurances. As Deeks took his place in bed, Kensi slid her right arm across his chest and her leg up and over his thigh, where they had been before he got up.

"It was hard not to, though, with you splayed all over me."

Two, maybe three beats passed before Kensi spoke, very clearly this time. "Alright, now I'm awake. And that sounds an awful lot like a complaint." She propped her head up on her other hand and glared at her fiancé.

"No, no, no," Deeks said quickly, "That was most certainly not a complaint. More an observation…about how you used to sleep like Patrick, taking up all four quadrants of the bed. And now you're attached to me like Squidward."

"Are you seriously comparing me to SpongeBob SquarePants characters?"

"Maybe? But again, _so_ not a complaint. Actually, I kind of like it. I mean, even while you sleep, your body can't stay away from mine." Deeks leaned over and kissed the tip of Kensi's nose.

"Ha. Maybe I'm just trying to get back on the right side of the bed, since you so rudely co-opted it."

"I seem to recall someone reluctantly agreeing to try the left side when she was having trouble sleeping all those months ago. Oh! And I also recall she was able to sleep better there."

"Yeah, well, that's still my side of the bed. I just sleep on this side," Kensi said begrudgingly.

"I beg to differ, Sleeping Beauty. You end up _on my_ _side_ , literally. You hang on the right half of my body, just like you're doing now. One leg over my muscular thigh and an arm on my well-defined six-pack. You tend to rest your cheek against my shoulder, but sometimes, if I move my arm out of the way, you come right in and use my chest as a pillow, and the scent of your hair follows me into dreamland." He dropped a kiss on her temple and sighed, "I really enjoy that."

Kensi gave a half-hearted eye-roll, but Deeks continued, "Of course, that's only when I lie on my back. When I'm on my stomach, you do the same thing on my left side but, you know, your arm runs along my chiseled back and your fingers usually end up in my glorious locks. Nothing to complain about there either," he winked, picking up her hand and lightly brushing his lips from her wrist to her elbow.

Kensi shuddered a little and started to disengage from him, but Deeks followed.

He turned onto his side to face her and settled an elbow on her hip, his fingers slipping under the hem of her shirt to gently trace patterns on her soft skin. "If I'm lying on my right side, like this, you usually park your foot between my calves, tuck your hand beneath the waistband of my boxers, and burrow your head into the crook of my neck." Deeks ducked his head to press a lingering kiss to Kensi's lips, then murmured, "A huge turn on, by the way."

Taking advantage of Kensi's dazed silence, Deeks went on, "And finally, when I'm on my left side, you get to be the big spoon. You slide one of your arms under my shirt and do that tickle-scratch thing I love so much, and your breath warms my back while your cold feet rub against my legs as you mold yourself around my…Firm. Taut. Butt."

Deeks overenunciated the last three words, bringing Kensi out of her stupor and making her chuckle. "You're so ridiculous."

"But correct. Face it Fern, you cannot keep your hands, or any part of you for that matter, off this bodacious bod."

Kensi wouldn't deny it, but that didn't mean she had to admit it. "You know, the same can be said for you."

"When do you give me the chance, Squiddy?"

"When I'm on my right side, turned away from you."

"Oh, you mean when you're bumping booties with me?"

"I do not!"

"You do too! I can't believe I forgot about that, because even then, your titillating tushy is touching my tuchus and you tangle our tootsies together. And just to be clear, that's still not a complaint."

"Then how is it I find myself being the little spoon sometimes?"

Deeks thought for a moment. "You know, that's a good question. Since I am a detective, I think I'll detect just a bit." He rolled Kensi over and onto her right side, moving her away from him so their bodies no longer touched.

Kensi felt him toss and turn around several times, all the while muttering, "No…nope…that's not good…whoa, that's just all kinds of bad," before the bed shook a final time and Deeks' arm draped over her waist.

He pulled Kensi toward him again, so that her entire length was flush against him, her back to his front. Deeks kissed her shoulder before nestling his chin on it, and ran his hand down her arm to weave their fingers together. "Okay. Brilliant detective that I am, I figured it out."

"And?"

"It would seem that for as much as you obviously crave my body against yours when we're sleeping, I need us to be touching too. It just doesn't feel right otherwise. So when there is no contact, my subconscious mind takes matters into my own hands, literally."

She wasn't sure he'd ever said anything sweeter. Between Deeks' flirtatious talk and enticing kisses, Kensi needed no further seduction. She reached behind her, immediately zeroing in on the target her very conscious mind wanted. "I can take things into my own hands too, you know" she whispered.

Deeks groaned and nipped Kensi's earlobe, loving the shiver it sent down her body. "You'll get no complaints from me, Squidward."

* * *

 **AN2** : Thanks to Kitty and Stef. They know why.


	9. A Really Good Partner

**AN** : This is a missing moment from Blye, K., Part 2 (3x17). How did Kensi know that there was something more for Julia to explain when she and Deeks talked in the bullpen?

Oh, and I blew my 1000-word count out of the water on this one, but I figured since this was a two-part episode, that was okay. In fact, since it was a double-length episode, I should double my usual word limit, right? In which case, I came in juuust under budget – go me!

* * *

Kensi slowly wandered around the ground floor of Julia's house, trying to imagine what type of person lived there. So far she'd guessed that her mother was unmarried, since there were no pictures of her and any one particular man among all the photos on display in the common areas she'd explored. There were also no pictures of younger people at various stages of life, so Kensi was forced to assume her mother had no other children.

It seemed like a big house for just one person, though. Maybe she'd remarried and subsequently divorced, Kensi thought. She'd always imagined her mother wasn't alone. What else would keep a woman from her daughter but another man and other children?

She had to admit to some astonishment earlier when she'd seen the photos and mementos of her own childhood that Julia kept in the hutch. She honestly hadn't thought her mother cared that much.

Kensi was also surprised that she liked the décor of the house. It was simple yet elegant, and she wondered if her mother had done it herself. She remembered that Julia always seemed to have good taste, and liked to show it off. It was one of many ways Kensi believed she was nothing like her mother.

Making her way back to the foyer, Kensi was glad to see the small cleaning crew hard at work on the stairway landing, apparently being supervised by Deeks. Clairmont's body had been removed by the coroner's office, and after LAPD left all that remained was the mess and destruction.

"Hetty's got people coming over soon to replace the glass in the door upstairs, and Rick and Juan here are almost done. They already got rid of the blood in the second floor hall," Deeks said as he cocked his head toward the men in protective gear treating the area that had been stained with blood and bodily fluids not too long ago. "I checked it out and that seems to be all the damage."

Kensi nodded, watching the crime scene clean-up techs work. "Yeah, that sounds about right."

"Hetty will also have someone take care of any bullet holes on the outside of the house, but that'll probably be tomorrow. Sam and Callen went around and marked them before they left. I'll give your mother the name of the company later, when I bring her back from the boatshed." Deeks paused, studying his partner intently. Her mind seemed to be elsewhere.

"You good?" he asked cautiously.

The paramedics had arrived and wrapped her ribs and treated her arm where Clairmont slashed her. "I'll live." After another moment of silence, Kensi said, "Thanks. For dealing with the repairs to the house."

Deeks shrugged, "Hetty set it all up."

"But you stayed behind to make sure it all gets done right. You didn't have to do that."

"Your mother shouldn't have to see this, or deal with it."

Walking past his partner and indicating that she should follow, Deeks moved into the living room and away from potentially curious ears. Dissatisfied with her previous non-answer he asked again, "You really okay, Kens?"

She didn't meet his eyes for a few beats, and then only briefly. "I'm fine."

"Uh huh, we both know what that means."

"I'm good," she corrected. "It's just…a lot to take in." When Deeks simply stared at her, Kensi continued, "I learned my father was part of a black-ops team that specialized in irregular rendition, I finally know the truth about his death, and I found out my mother is living in California again."

"Twenty minutes from you," he reminded her. Kensi remained silent, but he asked anyway, "You want to come with me to pick her up?"

She quickly shook her head and crossed her arms over her chest in a protective gesture, "No. Just because I don't want the woman dead doesn't mean I want her in my life again."

Deeks sat on an overstuffed couch and Kensi followed his lead, perching on the edge of a catty-cornered wingback chair. "Listen, I don't know much about what happened between you and your mother, but she told us some things that I think you should know."

"Us?"

"Callen and Sam were at the boatshed when we got there." He smiled, "They were a little taken with your mom, I think."

Kensi flashed a look of annoyance. "Why? Because she's still attractive?"

Deeks chuckled softly, "No, although Callen couldn't stop staring at her for a while."

"Then why? What has my mother done in the past fifteen years that's so great?" She waved her hand around the perfectly-decorated living room, "Other than make enough money to live well, apparently." Kensi had a hard time keeping the bitterness from her voice. Despite what she'd told Deeks, she was hurting and exhausted, both physically and emotionally. She didn't have it in her to pretend right now, and she was relieved she didn't need to with him.

"It wasn't what she's done with herself since you last saw her, it's what she did that caused you to run away."

Kensi shook her head slowly, clearly confused. When she finally spoke, her voice was wary. "What do you mean?"

Deeks looked her in the eye, trying to determine if his partner was ready to hear what he was about to say. Deciding the time probably wouldn't get any better, and believing she wouldn't speak to her mother otherwise, he said it bluntly: "Kens, she knew about Oscar-Sierra."

Kensi whispered, barely able to get the words out, "What? How is that possible?"

"Your father told her. She didn't approve, and that's why she left him."

"What are you saying? That there was no other man?"

"No, there was no one else. She lied so you wouldn't be disappointed in your dad. Just in her."

Kensi leaned forward, putting her elbows on her knees and her face in her hands. When she glanced at Deeks several long seconds later, she thought he looked as pained as she felt. "I've spent half my life angry at my mother for betraying my father and for trying to take me away from him, when in fact she was protecting me from thinking less of him? And for all that time, I thought my father was a hero and that I knew everything about him except why he really died, but that's not true either. What am I supposed to do with all of this, Deeks?"

"First, your father _was_ a hero, Kens. He did what was asked of him to protect his country. Difficult and important missions that most men couldn't do. You still have every reason to be proud of him." He waited a few beats before gently suggesting, "As for what you should do, maybe think about talking to your mother?"

Kensi knew Deeks was right about her dad. Hell, as a sniper she'd been in similar situations herself. But her world had just gone topsy-turvy; things she once accepted as fact had been disproven. It was unsettling, to say the least. She didn't want to make any decisions about her mother just now. Kensi Blye did not react on emotion; she acted on instinct, and hers were all off.

Deeks sat there silently, a comforting presence, and continued to observe her as Kensi allowed herself to begin to feel the grief of a lost half-lifetime with her mother. Before long a thought occurred to her. "Why didn't she come back after he died, then?"

He debated if he should share anything, but ultimately went with the little Julia had told them. "She didn't say specifically, but she mentioned that you said you never wanted to talk to her again. Could be she was just respecting that." It was a weak defense, even to Deeks' ears.

"My father was dead and I was alone! She should have come back, been a mother to me and told me the truth, especially if there was no one else in her life. All this time I thought she chose some other family over me, but there was no one…so why did she stay away?" Kensi hated how pathetic her question sounded. But she was thankful for the frustration she felt because it kept the tears at bay. The last thing she wanted was to start crying over her mother in front of her partner.

"Kensi, only one person can answer your questions. You need to ask her."

"And if I don't like the answers? What if she wanted nothing to do with me? I said horrible, hateful things to her that last time. Maybe a single, childless life was better than raising a stubborn, angry teenaged girl who always preferred her father."

"I don't think that's true. You didn't see her face earlier when I mentioned your name. She misses you. I'm pretty sure the only reason she came with me today was to hear about you, because she sure as hell didn't believe it when I promised she'd see you. Look, maybe you both have some explaining to do, but you were the kid and she was the adult. She knows she hurt you. I really believe she regrets the decisions she made."

She shook her head. "I haven't had a relationship with my mother for literally half my life. How do we get over that?" Kensi stood up, feeling trapped and restless. "I don't know what to do, Deeks."

"Talk to her. Or better yet, just listen to what she has to say. Come to the boatshed with me, and I'll give you two some space, or I can stay if you want. Honestly, Kens? You already haven't spoken for fifteen years; can things get any worse if you see her now?"

She let out a slow breath before agreeing, "I guess not."

"So you'll do it?"

Deeks seemed happier about it than Kensi felt. "Maybe you can just hang out on the pier?"

He smiled brightly, "Sure thing, partner."

Deeks' phone sounded, and he pulled it from his pocket to check the message. "Text from Hetty, she wants you back at ops ASAP."

Kensi didn't know if she was more relieved or disappointed.

"Want me to cover for you? Go. I'll tell Hetty you just left to see your mother. You don't have a cell; she won't be able to contact you until you get to the boatshed, and by then she probably won't insist."

"No, I think this is the universe telling me that I need a little more time before I see her."

"But you will?"

"Yeah, I think so. Maybe I'll stop back here on my way home later."

"Good," Deeks slung his arm over Kensi's shoulder and walked her toward the door, "I wouldn't want you to make a liar out of me."

Kensi smiled lightly, the first since he made her laugh at her apartment that morning. "Thank-you for everything today, Deeks. For believing in me, giving me space, keeping my mother safe, having my back, all of it. Plus I'm sure it couldn't have been easy to tell me all that about my mother. But I'm glad you did. You were a really good partner today."

"That's it? Really good? Pretty sure I'm a _really good_ partner every day, Kensalina. I think after today I should be referred to as the world's best partner, or something equally suitable. Maybe most awesome and bravest?"

"Certainly not most humble," she stepped out from under Deeks' arm and pointed a finger at him. "Touché."

"That's not how – you know what, never mind. I'll give you a pass this once because you've had a rough day. But soon, I'm going to school you on the proper use of that word, and you can add most patient to the ever-growing list of glowing superlatives to describe your partner."

Kensi gave Deeks a real smile now as she opened the door and stepped outside, marveling at how he could make her feel better. "Deal."


	10. A Little Woman-to-Woman Talk

**AN** : This was inspired by and written for "Densi-mber," a month-long celebration on Tumblr of our favorite couple (feel free to PM me if you'd like the URL). I'm also working on a follow-up discussion that actually involves both Kensi and Deeks and should be up next Sunday. In fact, I'm hoping to post a Densi-mber themed chapter every week for the entire month and have ideas for all five weeks, each of them taking place in December. Good thing one of the goals of these little ficlets is that they're short!

* * *

Kensi watched the kids skating on the ice as she made her way down the bleachers. Even though it wasn't a free skate session and there was no Christmas music playing in the indoor rink, she couldn't help but smile a little at her favorite ice skating memory. It was hard to believe it was almost exactly three years since she and Deeks decided to be bold together.

Now they were engaged and talking about leaving their jobs to start a family. Kensi paused and took a settling breath as she spotted her target sitting alone among the smattering of observers. Time to be bold again.

Choosing a spot one bench behind and a little to the right the woman, Kensi tried to guess which child belonged to her. It was impossible to see hair color due to their helmets, and they were chasing after the puck too fast to get a good look at their faces.

Acting before she could change her mind, Kensi cleared her throat and asked, "Which one is yours?"

Ellen Whiting did a good job of schooling her features when she turned around, Kensi thought. She looked neither startled nor pissed, but Kensi was sure she was a little of both. "What are you doing here?" the detective demanded.

Kensi stood and climbed down to Whiting's level to sit next to her. "I apologize for the location, but I was hoping for a little woman-to-woman chat," she said sincerely.

Somewhat mollified, the detective asked, "How did you find me?"

"Your husband really should make his Facebook page private," Kensi said.

Whiting shook her head and looked back at the rink for several moments before speaking. "Number twenty-seven."

They both watched the boy, now ten years-old if Kensi was correct, maneuver smoothly around the ice. He whipped his stick at an imaginary puck while he waited for the real one to come his way. "He's good," she said when she'd seen enough to say it truthfully.

"Got his father's grace out there," Whiting replied. "I can barely stand up on blades."

Kensi smiled, "Deeks outdoes me on the ice too. In most activities that involve water in any form, in fact."

"I'm sure you didn't come here to discuss Deeks' recreational aptitude."

"No." Kensi spoke slowly, "I came to ask what it was like to leave your son when you went back to work. Knowing there's always a risk you might not come home."

This time Whiting's face did betray her surprise. "You mean after he was born, or when I was shot?"

Kensi shrugged, "Either. Both." Spotting the detective's quick glance at her abdomen, she said, "I'm not pregnant." She eyed the young hockey players and continued, "But I want to be one day."

Catching on, Whiting said, "They were two of the hardest days of my life."

"Why'd you go back, then?"

"It's what I do. And frankly, before I worked with your team, I'd never even come close to being shot," she said, matter-of-factly. "What we do is important, Agent Blye, and there aren't enough women in law enforcement as it is. Don't feel bad if you choose to keep working."

"I already decided to give it up when the kids come. Probably before then." The detective's eyebrows shot up and Kensi chucked. "Deeks' idea, actually."

"I have to admit I'm shocked to hear that. I didn't think he was the type to want his wife to stay home having babies."

"He isn't. He wants out too. Wants a job that doesn't have us dodging bullets every other day." Kensi leveled her gaze at Whiting. When she was confident the other woman recognized the true purpose of her visit, Kensi put it into words. "If Deeks leaves LAPD some day in the not-too-distant future so we have a better shot of raising our children into adulthood, I need to know if you're going to try to send him to prison for murder."

The detective was silent for a long time. They both followed her son's progress across the rink as he made a break and attempted to score. Grabbing her phone to record it, Whiting stood up as he took the shot, sending the puck soaring into the net. She cheered and shouted her praise at the boy. Kensi was still applauding and whistling when Whiting said proudly, "I know it's only a scrimmage match, but that was his first goal in this league." She replayed the video on her cell. "His dad's going to hate that he missed it."

Nodding to the phone, Kensi said, "It's good he'll still get to see it. You're quick with the camera." She left Whiting to send her husband the video and focused her attention on the boy as he got back to the game.

Whiting's attention was still on her device when she calmly spoke. "I can only give you my word, but if Deeks wants to find a safer job so you both can watch your children grow up, I won't stand in the way of that."

Kensi nodded, a slight smile on her lips. "I'll take your word. Deeks trusts you, and I will admit that you're a good detective who is dedicated to doing the right thing. I respect that."

Whiting met her eyes, "And I respect what you two want to do. Despite what I said earlier, maybe I even envy your decision."

Kensi stood and offered her hand. "Thank you, Detective Whiting."

They shook. "Is there a timeline for this change of careers? Any idea how much longer I can count on Deeks to be my secret weapon?"

"Not yet. We still need to figure out what we want to do next."

"Whatever it is, I doubt you'll find anything quite as exciting as what you do now."

Pointing to the rink, Kensi said, "What I just saw was pretty exciting to me. I think we'd be happy with a long lifetime of moments like those."


	11. Bold and Brilliant

**AN** : This is the follow-up to Chapter 10, "A Little Woman-to-Woman Talk" and takes place that same day. It too was previously posted to Tumblr's Densi-mber blog. If you haven't already done so, I encourage you to stop by and experience all the other Densi goodness there (the fanfic force has been strong the last few days!). Next installment should hopefully be up in a week and will feature Deeks doing something special (and December-specific) for his ladybird.

* * *

Kensi vacuumed the house while she waited for Deeks to return, feeling the need to expend some nervous energy. Now that she'd had her little talk with Whiting it was time to have one with Deeks. Kensi was damned if after her self-imposed delays getting engaged that she would let him drag his feet to the alter.

He came in through the back door having put his surfboard away. As Deeks approached, Kensi got a whiff of the ocean. She knew he'd be heading for the shower next, and not for the first time couldn't decide whether she preferred the scent of saltwater or soap on him.

"Good time with the vets this morning?" Kensi asked after she turned off the noisy machine.

"Yeah. Why are you vacuuming?" he said slowly.

"You complain when I don't clean, you get weird when I do. I can't win," she joked as she kissed him hello.

Deeks wrapped his arms around Kensi's lower back and pulled her in tighter. "Not weird, just slightly concerned. You only voluntarily clean when there's something on your mind. Everything okay?"

"We'll talk after you clean up," she gave him a smile and pecked his cheek before shooing him toward the bathroom.

When Deeks returned ten minutes later Kensi was waiting on the couch. "What's up?" he asked, sitting beside her.

"I've been thinking…" Kensi said as she stretched her legs out and draped them across Deeks' lap.

"That's never a good thing," he teased, resting a hand on her knee.

"You've been avoiding setting a date or making nay plans for our wedding."

"Correction: I've been trying to align things with Monty's calendar, but you know how busy he is. Besides, we talked about having a wedding on the beach, so we _have_ made a plan."

"Deeks, that was before we even got engaged. Since then you've been very hard to pin down whenever anyone asks you about it."

"Wasn't it me who suggested leap day? How was I supposed to know that's more than two years from now?"

"Because everyone knows leap years always coincide with U.S. presidential election years."

"That's not entirely true. They skip years that are evenly divisible by one hundred. Unless of course that year is also equally divisible by four hundred, in which case it is a leap year."

"HA!" Kensi pointed an accusatory finger. "I knew you knew when the next leap year was."

Deeks also knew he was busted. He released a slow breath before explaining, "I haven't been avoiding –" he stopped short at Kensi's look. "Okay, I wouldn't say avoiding, maybe just not quite ready to commit to anything yet." He scratched the back of his head. "Which sounds an awful lot like avoidance, I'll agree." Deeks' voice took on a mildly panicked edge when he continued, "Baby I know it looks bad, but I promise this has nothing to do with us. All I want is to marry you."

"I know," Kensi assured him. "And I took care of it."

"Wait, what does that mean? Took care of what?"

"What's been holding you back."

"How do you know what's holding me back?"

"Because I know you. And I know that once we're married we're going to seriously start talking about having kids. But we can't do that until we figure out our next steps career-wise. And every time you think of quitting your job, you remember the noose Whiting has around your neck, and wonder if she'll let you go that easily. That's why you're reluctant to make any wedding plans."

Deeks stared at Kensi before admitting, "Yeah, I don't exactly know what to do about that. I'm worried that if I leave LAPD she'll arrest me for anything from manslaughter to murder."

"Then it's a good thing you're engaged to such a bold and brilliant woman," she bragged.

Deeks' eyes narrowed, "What did you do, Kens?"

"I had a nice little chat with Whiting this morning."

"Oh, no. Did she end up in the hospital afterward?"

"Don't be ridiculous. I found out when she would be at her son's ice hockey practice, and I popped by for a visit."

"What!" The concern was clear in Deeks' voice. "Kensi, she can accuse you of harassing or stalking her. You can't just show up when she's off duty and with her family."

"The whole point was for her to be with her kid when we talked, babe. I wanted her to have a visual reminder of her son when I told her that you and I want to leave LAPD and NCIS to have children someday."

Deeks' expression changed from one of alarm to admiration. "Wow, that was ingenious, Kens."

"You don't have to sound so surprised, you know," she poked a toe into his thigh.

He squeezed her foot gently. "So what happened?"

"She didn't respond for a while, but then all of a sudden it was like fate intervened when her son scored a goal and Whiting videoed it for her husband. I mentioned it was great that he'd still be able to watch the video, you know, to really send the message home in case she missed it."

"Oh, you mean that they're both alive and not in prison?" he said with a smirk. "And all we want is the same opportunity?"

"Exactly," Kensi met Deeks' eyes when she said, "Which is why she promised she wouldn't go after you when you leave LAPD."

"You believe her?" he asked, afraid to hope.

"I do," Kensi nodded confidently. "But just in case, I also recorded our chat. It's already downloaded to a flash drive and in the safe." She smiled, "So what do you say, ready to set a wedding date now?"

Deeks beamed. "Almost, my bold and brilliant Kensalina. Since you know me so well, I bet you know what I want to do first."

She did, and was unsurprised when Deeks took her hand and led her toward their bedroom.


	12. The Man You Are

**AN** : Previously posted on Tumblr for "Densi-mber." Christmas isn't the only important date in December for Kensi. Deeks remembers and does something about it.

Yeah, I know I totally blew the word count on this one. Same with one (or more) of the other upcoming "Densi-mber Discussions" ficlets. At this rate I should probably have posted them as their own collection. Oh well, you live, you learn.

* * *

Kensi felt the jolt of adrenaline hit her system and for the first time that morning was glad Deeks had talked her into a run. Whined, cajoled, and pouted until she agreed just to shut him up would be more accurate, but she was grateful nonetheless.

Atypically, she hadn't wanted to get up early for any kind of workout today. She would have preferred to sleep, hidden under the covers, until the last possible minute. In fact, until he began his campaign to get her out for a jog at their favorite beach, Kensi had been regretting rejecting Deeks' suggestion that she put in for the day off. She'd thought it would be better to stay busy, as she had in previous years.

But Deeks sometimes knew Kensi better than she knew herself, and if the difficulty she'd had maintaining a conversation so far this morning was any indication, he was right that she needed this run to clear her mind. Not that he would blame her.

Today was the twentieth anniversary of her father's murder and Kensi had to admit she was surprised by how much it still hurt. She'd spent more than half her life without her dad, shouldn't she be done with the grieving process? Instead, it seemed to have intensified in recent years, and she suspected Deeks was the reason.

When it became clear to Kensi that Deeks was the man she wanted to marry and have children with, the persistent ache she'd grown accustomed to years ago morphed into sharp pangs of yearning. She didn't think it was because she missed her father more; it was because she was acutely aware of all that _he_ would miss. Hearing about how they got engaged. Walking her down the aisle on their wedding day. Holding his grandchildren.

Her thoughts were interrupted by a groan from Deeks, who was suddenly bent over and grasping his lower leg. Kensi stopped short and turned back to him. "Deeks? What's wrong?"

"Shin splint," he said through gritted teeth. "Help me over there?" he asked, nodding toward the nearest park bench lining their path.

Slipping an arm around his waist, Kensi noticed the caution tape and "Wet Paint" placards on the seat Deeks indicated. "Baby, why don't you sit right here instead? That bench isn't useable."

"No, no, no," he moaned. "I need to sit _on_ something, my leg has to be at a ninety-degree angle," he argued as he continued to hobble toward his goal.

Reaching it together, Kensi said, "Deeks, you can't sit on this one, they just painted it." She waved at the signs warning people away.

"Nah, that's just what I wanted everyone else to think," he said. Deeks stood up straight, seemingly no longer in pain, and removed the strip of yellow tape that ran from one arm to the other. He sat down on the right side of the seat and tugged Kensi's hand until she did the same, guiding her to the left. There was a sizable gap between them, and in that space one of the "Wet Paint" signs hung from the top of the backrest.

"I don't understand," Kensi said.

"I wanted the bench to be available when we got here this morning, so I put up the signs and the tape last night."

"When you had a craving for Yummy Yummy Heart Attack and _had_ to have it for dinner, you mean," Kensi was putting the pieces together but still had no idea what they meant.

Deeks nodded. "I probably should have run this by you first, Kens, but I wanted to do something special for you and your dad today."

Kensi's expression softened at his words. When he pulled the "Wet Paint" sign down, it revealed a bronze plaque. On the left was the Eagle, Globe, and Anchor of the Marine Corps insignia. Kensi gasped and her eyes watered as she read the engraving:

Dedicated  
In Loving Memory of  
Master Sergeant Donald Blye, USMC  
Devoted Father, Fierce Warrior  
Semper Fidelis

"Oh my god, Deeks," she traced her fingers along the cool letters of her father's name as the tears started to fall. "This is…this is…I can't believe you did this."

"It's okay?"

"It's incredible," Kensi said, sliding over and throwing her arms around him. " _You're_ incredible to even think of such a thing. Thank you, so much."

They stayed like that for several minutes, Kensi's cheek resting on Deeks' shoulder so she could continue to gaze at the plaque. "I miss him," she barely whispered.

"I know you do, baby," Deeks squeezed her a little tighter. "I'm sorry he never got to see everything you accomplished. He would have been so proud of you."

Kensi sniffed, but remained quiet for a while longer. Finally, she sighed and said, "We probably should head back now, get ready for work."

"You really think you should be in the field today? Your head hasn't exactly been in the game this morning, sugar bear," he said kindly.

"I know, I really didn't think it would affect me this much," she said, running her fingers under her eyes to clear the tears that had been soaking through Deeks' shirt.

"Yeah, well, I kind of had a feeling it would. And I didn't figure this would help you be any less distracted," he indicted the plaque. "So I got us the day off and I planned the whole thing so you don't have to try to forget about your father, but can spend the time thinking and talking about him, and doing things you two loved to do together."

Kensi pulled back to look at her fiancé. "Really?"

"Yup. First stop is the cemetery, where we can regale my future father-in-law with the tales of all of my proposals and your single, solitary one. Then I thought we could head to one of the canyon parks and you can demonstrate some more of the mad tracking skills your dad taught you. I might just have a picnic lunch ready to be picked up on the way. Oh! And as the _pi_ _è_ _ce de r_ _és_ _istance_ , I'm finally going to let you show me how to hotwire my truck."

Kensi laughed and Deeks wiped more tears from her face.

Deeks continued with their itinerary, "Later, you can pick where we grab dinner, but dessert is at home: 'smores over the firepit. I'll toss in the kindling and then you can correct me and school me on the proper way to do it. We have matches, but if you want to start the fire using any of the dozens of techniques the original Bad-Ass Blye passed on to you, I will bow to your wishes. Then you, me, and Monty can hang out under the stars and you can tell us some of the stories your dad used to tell you when you went camping. Or we can play poker. But maybe we do that inside, since you know how I like to bet with my clothes," he smirked.

"Deeks, I don't know what to say. I can't believe you arranged all of this for me."

"There's nothing I wouldn't do for you, Kens," he whispered. "Which reminds me…" he reached into his pocket and brought out a small velvet draw-string pouch. "It's not like we can visit here every day, so I wanted you to have something special to carry with you." He held out the gift.

Opening the little sack, Kensi slid the contents into her hand. It was bracelet similar to the one she already wore. A leather cord wrapped several times around to create the band, and attached to it was a metal tag large enough to hold an inscription. Kensi was stunned to see not only her father's words, but his handwriting as it appeared in his sniper's journal, etched into the metal: _No matter how far away I am, my home is wherever you are, baby girl._

She beamed and kissed him solidly. "This is perfect, Deeks. The bench, the bracelet, the entire day…I couldn't have thought of a better way to honor my father's memory."

"I wish I could have known him."

"Me too. He really would have loved you."

"I know, because you love me."

"That too. But more because of the man you are: generous, compassionate, brave, kind, smart, funny. And he would have respected the hell out of the fact that you not only put up with me, but that you make me so happy. I know I said once that you and he weren't alike, but I was wrong. You're a lot like my dad, Deeks, in all the ways I just said. The ones that really matter."

"So I'm an action star, just like your father."

Kensi smiled. "Absolutely."

"Even though I can't hotwire a car."

"I bet you'll be able to do it with your eyes closed before the day's over."

"Challenge accepted," Deeks said as they got up, hand-in-hand, to continue their day.

* * *

 **AN2** : Deeks called Don Blye an action star, and Kensi said Deeks and her dad were nothing alike in a really great deleted scene from "Chernoff, K" (6x24).


	13. Sneaky Pyromaniac Monkeys

**AN** : Another "previously posted on Tumblr for Densi-mber" fic, a day early in deference to the holiday tomorrow (Merry Christmas to those who celebrate!). This can be considered a response to the "Moms share holiday baby stories of Kensi and Deeks with the couple" prompt, even though I wrote it before that. Thanks go out to Phnxgirl for the inspiration to write about Little Martin (and Little Kensi). When she gets around to finishing her current story, you'll know what I mean. And yeah, I basically doubled my 1,000-word limit on this one. Not sorry!

* * *

"Leave it, we'll clean up later," Kensi insisted as Julia and Bertie tried to rinse off their dinner plates.

" _We_ , angel?" Deeks teased.

"Okay, maybe I'm hoping for a Christmas miracle and we'll find everything washed and put away when we wake up in the morning."

"There's a better chance of Monty licking the dishes clean and burying them in the backyard overnight than Santa and the reindeer straightening up, Ms. Claus," Deeks said as they settled in the living room and he topped off the ladies' wine glasses. "Everything was delicious, Moms. You two are goddesses in the kitchen, I don't think I've ever had a better Christmas Eve meal." He popped open another beer for himself, realizing he'd had more than his fair share of holiday libation tonight. But it seemed to do the trick, as it really had been a nice evening with their parental units. Even better because Guy was out of town visiting his own grown children.

Kensi smiled at their mothers, "You know, the first time you guys met, when we were trying to get you to come out to a restaurant for Christmas dinner and you both wanted to cook, Deeks didn't think it was a good idea to have you share a kitchen. I for one knew it would work out beautifully."

"Wow, sugar plum, way to throw me under the bus."

"In all fairness, it would have been awkward that first year, considering we'd just met," Julia conceded. "But after all the time we've spent together since then, Bertie and I have become good friends and it's a treat to cook beside her."

Bertie held up her wine glass, "Here's to something good coming out of Kensi's coma. Aside from Kensi, of course."

They all toasted, and Kensi kept her glass aloft. "And to spending the holiday with family."

Bertie jumped on that opening. "Speaking of family, when will you two be adding to yours? Julia and I aren't getting any younger, you know, and we'd like to spend time together doing more than cooking. Maybe visit a hospital for something good for a change, if you're picking up what I'm putting down."

"I think you need to put that glass down and keep it there, Mama," Deeks told her. Apparently he wasn't the only one who'd had too much to drink tonight. Not that Crazy Bertie wouldn't have made that same statement when perfectly sober.

"Maybe you should set a wedding date first," Julia suggested.

"Nah, I already told them they didn't need to wait for that. It's not like either one of them is going anywhere, they're so in love," Bertie replied.

"That's true, but we're thinking we'll try this the traditional way: wedding first, kids some time after that," Kensi said.

Julia was thrilled to have confirmation that they were still planning to have children, "You'll be wonderful parents."

"Well, heaven knows with all your secret agent experience, you're ready for it if yours end up as rambunctious as Martin here."

"Thanks for the love, Mama. You sure you're not trying to talk us _out_ of having kids?"

"Aww, come on. You know I love you," she reached across the coffee table pat his cheek. "But do you remember the Christmas you were eight?"

"You'll never let me live that down, will you?" Deeks said.

"I should have realized then you'd make a living snooping into other people's lives. Good thing you seem to have gotten better at it."

"What happened?" Kensi asked.

"Your fiancé couldn't wait for Christmas to open his presents. About a week before, I heard noises in the middle of the night and thought someone had broken in. I crept out of my room with a hardcover book as a weapon only to find this one had snuck into my bedroom closet while I was asleep and pilfered all the presents. He'd unwrapped them, took inventory, and was trying to re-wrap them when I found him."

Kensi and Julia laughed.

"Oh, no," Julia said.

"Except he didn't realize until it was too late that he had no idea how to wrap a gift. He had more tape, glue, and paper on himself than on any one box. Every roll of wrapping paper was completely unrolled and strewn around the living room, and half of it somehow ended up stuck to the walls."

"Glue?" Kensi managed to ask.

"I was desperate!" Deeks shrugged. "I needed to know if those were the same presents that would supposedly be from Santa."

"Lucky for both of us your father was at the bar."

"I may not have known how to wrap a present at that tender age, but I knew enough to wait until the old man was gone to pull a stunt like that."

Wanting to keep the conversation light, Julia shared, "You know, Kensi could be pretty sneaky too when she was curious about something. We used to decorate our tree a few weeks before Christmas, but we always put the star on top after Kensi was asleep on Christmas Eve. Don told her it only appeared then because it was full of the spirit of Christmas."

Deeks grinned, "I can see where this is going."

"One year, I think Kensi must have been about four, shortly after Don and I went to bed, we heard a huge crash. We ran into the living room to find the tree toppled over and Kensi _inside_ it. Seems our little angel wanted to see the spirit of Christmas up close, so she moved all the gifts out of the way, crawled under the tree, and tried to climb up from the inside, where the branches were thickest."

Deeks burst out laughing and turned to his blushing bride-to-be, "We are so going to have to tie our kids into their beds every night in December!"

"And take the knobs off the stove," Julia advised. "I think she was eleven when she almost burned the house down because the rule was that we didn't open presents until after a family breakfast. Kensi thought she'd work around that by waking us up with the aroma of French toast at three in the morning."

Kensi took over, "Instead it was the smell of burnt bread and eggs that did the trick. And it just got very smoky; I didn't even come close to starting an actual fire, Mom."

"Yeah, she was saving that up for after we moved in together," Deeks joked, knocking Kensi's shoulder with his own.

"Right, because you don't drive Kensi nuts with your obsession about the Christmas lights, Martin," his mother said.

"What? What are you talking about? Kensalina appreciates the appealing appearance of our Christmas lights."

Kensi said, "You mean with all the," Bertie chimed in and said with her future daughter-in-law, "clean angles and smooth lines?"

"Go ahead and mock me, but we have the best-looking house on the block."

"You ought to after all the time you spent practicing hanging those damned lights inside the house year-round. Not to mention climbing all over things like an ape because you didn't want to use a ladder." Bertie looked at Julia, "With your monkey and mine as parents, our grandkids will be primed to join a travelling circus."

"Nice, mom," Deeks reproached.

Chuckling, Kensi said, "Things make so much sense now."

"Honey," Julia said slyly, "I have to apologize for saying you nearly set fire to the house that Christmas morning. I was wrong. It was during one _Hanukkah_ that you were practically a pyromaniac."

"Okay, Mom, you're cut off too," Kensi moved Julia's glass away from her.

"No, I want to hear this," Deeks encouraged.

"There's nothing to hear. I brought the menorah _outside_ during the day to try to light the candles with a magnifying glass," Kensi defended.

"And when that didn't work…?" Julia prompted.

"Wait, let me guess!" Deeks all but shouted. "She tried flint and steel, a stick and shoestring, and a battery and steel wool." He could read on Kensi's face that he was exactly right, so he put his arm around her and kissed her cheek, "Props to you for keeping the fire outside the house, baby."

Bertie loudly cleared her throat and glared at her son. Deeks' smile quickly faded. Catching on, Kensi said, "Oh ho ho! Deeks set fire to something, didn't he?! In the house! What happened?" She looked between her fiancé and his mother.

"Martin was eleven when that movie _Home Alone_ came out and he was convinced someone was going to break in and steal his Christmas presents since his father was out of the house for good by then. He borrowed a blowtorch from that delinquent Ray's garage and rigged it to ignite if someone came in the back door."

"It would have worked too if Mama hadn't made me take it down."

Kensi laughed her scary laugh and the family stared at her. Once she regained her composure, she ruffled Deeks hair and explained, "You sound like every villain at the end of Scooby Doo, Shaggy."

Julia teased, "Well, they'll be a handful, but at least your kids will be beautiful to look at while they get into all that trouble."

"Oh yeah," Bertie said. "Those good looks and the well-practiced ability to feign innocence will keep you two on your toes for sure."

"That's it," Kensi threw up her hands. "I'm not raising any sneaky pyromaniac monkeys. Thanks Moms, you've talked me out of giving you grandchildren."

"I'm with my ladybird on this one," Deeks agreed, taking one of Kensi's hands in his own. "Sneaky pyromaniac monkeys don't sound nearly as cool as mutant ninja assassins."

"Oh, don't get your panties in a twist," Bertie said. "You know it's not all bad. There's also plenty of good about having high-spirited and clever children."

"Such as?" Deeks asked.

Bertie was quick with an answer. "You had so much energy you were super excited about pretty much anything. I could have given you an empty coffee tin for Christmas and you would have found about a dozen different ways to play with it."

Deeks looked at her askance, "You _did_ give me a coffee tin one year."

"Yeah, well, it wasn't a gift or anything," his mother waved him off. "Just something to keep you busy for a while."

"Kensi, you were just as well-occupied with any reading material about the Marines or whatever base we were living on. You really were quite easy growing up," Julia said sincerely.

"I wouldn't give back a second of it. Even though he may have been a little devil at times, my Martin was all heart," Bertie said.

"He still is," Kensi added, squeezing Deeks' hand.

Eying her son, Bertie asked, "Do you remember when you were in seventh grade and you got caught doing other kids' homework for money?" The woman's eyes misted as she turned to Kensi and Julia and explained, "He wanted to buy me something really special for Christmas."

Julia exclaimed, "Oh my goodness! Kensi was in fourth grade when she did the same thing, only it was so she could buy more presents for the Marines' Toys for Tots drive!"

The foursome hadn't finished laughing when Deeks furrowed his brows in thought. "So I was twelve and you would have been, what, nine? That happened the same Christmas, Kens!"

"I guess great minds really do think alike," Kensi said, leaning into Deeks to give him a quick kiss.

Bertie stood up and toyed with her phone. "And on that note, I think it's time to hit the road. What do you say, Julia, should we leave these two great minds to their baby-making?"

"Or wedding planning, whichever they prefer," Julia said.

"Perfect, there's a Lyft less than ten minutes from here. I'll drop you off on the way home."

Fifteen minutes later, Deeks locked the door behind their mothers as Kensi set the alarm. Putting his arm around Kensi's waist and making their way toward the bedroom, Deeks asked, "So did they really change your mind about having kids?"

"Nah. But I know one thing for sure."

"What's that?"

"The moment our kid starts to crawl, we need to put security cameras in every room and the perimeter of the house, linked to our phones," Kensi suggested.

"Obviously. And taking the knobs off the stove probably isn't a bad idea either."

"We can do that now as far as I'm concerned," Kensi half-joked. "Oh, and we should probably only ever live in a single-story house. No telling what havoc our kids could wreak with stairs and a high roof."

"Done," Deeks agreed, yawning. "And maybe we can get our hands on a lifetime supply of Overwatch spray…"

* * *

 **AN2** : My next (and last) weekly Densi-mber installment should be up next Saturday or Sunday and will, predictably, take place on New Year's Eve. But I may have one or two more "bonus" Christmas Eve/Christmas Day drabbles that you can expect during the week, if you're interested.


	14. Dear Jack, My Dearest Deeks

**AN** : I have no idea where this came from, but it takes place several hours after the moms leave in the previous installment, "Sneaky Pyromaniac Monkeys." The next Christmas Eve/Christmas Day ficlet should be up in two days and takes us back in time to their first one as a couple.

* * *

December 25, 2017

Dear Jack,

It's very early Christmas morning, technically still the middle of the night. Is it weird that I'm alone in my living room writing a letter to my former fiancé? I'm doing what I've done since I was a kid: waking up while it's still dark to sit in the light of the Christmas tree, reminiscing about years past and contemplating the ones to come (okay, when I was younger, I admit I was really trying to figure out what Santa brought me, but the practice evolved as I did). You used to respect my wish to be alone then, and I appreciated that.

It's been a peaceful tradition for me ever since I can remember, with the exception of the year I got up and found you gone. When you weren't beside me in bed that night, I wondered if I'd find you already on the couch, doing some deep thinking of your own. Needless to say, I spent the wee hours of that Christmas morning (and then some) worrying about you. I suppose you're still trying to figure out why I'm writing you, recounting that night. You know I forgave you long ago for leaving me. But now I feel compelled to thank you for it.

Yeah, it seems a little crazy to me too. A dozen years later, I write a letter I'm not sure will ever get to you, to thank you for abandoning me in the middle of the night. It's because the man who's in my bed as I write this is the best thing that's ever happened to me, and I wouldn't have met him if you and I had lived the life we planned. When I saw you in Afghanistan and you told me you'd found peace in Islam, how you fell in love again and had a child, I was (ultimately) happy for you. I know you were happy for me the next time we met, when you heard Deeks and I were moving in together. We're engaged now, and by this time next year, we'll be married. Maybe by the Christmas after that we'll have a baby.

Looking back on it now, with the gift of hindsight and in the glow of a Christmas tree I decorated with my last future husband, I can recognize that night so long ago as a turning point in my life. Being forced re-define myself and my future was necessary, and closing myself off to love seemed warranted at the time. I found a career that I love that makes a difference in the world. That work led me to a man who saw behind my façade and fell in love with the woman I became and who was able, willing, and wanting to do whatever it took to make me love him too. I have you to thank for that, Jack.

Time to wrap this up because Deeks will be out soon. It's still oh-dark-thirty, but I've been alone on the couch for nearly an hour and that's usually about as long as it takes him to join me. As much as I valued you giving me space, Deeks understands that I also need the love and support of his presence right now.

There will always be a special place in my heart for you, Jack, and I'll always want the best for you. I hope you'll be glad to know I finally have that too, with Deeks.

Fondly,  
Kensi soon-to-be Blye-Deeks

* * *

My Dearest Deeks,

You'll be here soon, so I'll make this quick. It's early Christmas morning and you know I'm on our couch thinking about the paths my life has taken, and where I want it to go in the future. When you come and wrap me in your arms, I'll share my latest dreams and desires with you while we gaze at our beautiful tree. You'll do the same, and the tradition will continue, no longer just mine. Now one I look forward to every year in a way I never did when I was alone.

I'll show you the letter I just wrote to Jack. When you finish reading it, you'll hold back your tears and accuse me of being dangerously romantic. After you demonstrate how much my words mean to you 😉, you'll probably get around to asking me why I wrote it now. If you don't, I'll tell you, because it's important.

I realized tonight in my annual middle-of-the-night Christmas musings that much like Jack prompted a change in me all those years ago, you've done the same. The person I became in the aftermath of his departure no longer exists. I am a wholly different woman. I allowed my mom back in my life because of you, and we had a wonderful evening with her and your mother earlier tonight. I dedicated my career to protecting people and have only gotten better at it since you became my partner. I fell in love again, admittedly against my own better judgment, and have never regretted a moment of it. Soon we'll start planning our wedding. And I'm actually excited about figuring out what we'll do next professionally (I never thought I'd say anything good about the prospect of leaving NCIS—especially after how desperate I was to get back there last year) so we can start working on those mutant ninja assassins (or sneaky pyromaniac monkeys—I'm sure we'll love whichever we get) we keep talking about.

I want to thank you too, babe. I love our work, our home, and our life together, and I can't wait to see what the next few years bring. I have you to thank for so much of who I am now and for being happier than I ever thought I could be. Is it any wonder I'll love you until the end of time and back?

Yours Always,  
Kensi soon-to-be Blye-Deeks


	15. No More Safe Gifts

**AN:** Another bonus Christmas Densi-mber Discussion! Credit for inspiring this one goes to Sassyzazzi and Max and Fern 4ever who "made" me watch Humbug (6x11) again not too long ago, which got me wondering what gifts Kensi and Deeks got for each other before and after they went "all in." This takes place during that subsequent trip to Mammoth.

* * *

Kensi stretched her arm out, reaching for Deeks. When she felt only cool sheets, she remembered he'd gotten up a few minutes ago to take Monty for a quick walk. She picked up her phone to check the time. It was after midnight, and officially Christmas Day.

Figuring she wouldn't get another chance, Kensi wrapped the heavy blanket around her naked body and climbed from the bed. She rifled through her suitcase for Deeks' present and hurried into the living area of their rented cabin. "Oh, hey," she stopped short when she spotted Deeks on the couch and tucked the item in her hand under the blanket. "I thought you were out with Monty. What are you doing?"

"Nothing," Deeks did a lousy job of lying as he obviously hid something behind one of the decorative pillows. There was no light in the room save what came from the low fire in the electric fireplace and the multi-colored lights on the small artificial tree they'd bought on the way up to Mammoth two days ago.

The Christmas tree stood on the table next to the couch, and beneath it they'd placed the gifts for each other. Except, Kensi now noted, her gift from Deeks was gone.

She walked slowly toward him and said with a smile, "What did you just put under the pillow, Deeks?"

"Kens, if I ask you to do me a favor, would you do it?"

Thrown by the change in topic, Kensi narrowed her eyes at him before responding, "Depends on what it is."

"Please go back to bed. I promise I'll be there soon, and I'll do my best to make you forget this little incident," he added lasciviously.

"Where's my present?" she asked instead of granting his request.

Deeks closed his eyes in apparent frustration. He scratched the back of his head in what Kensi had long ago recognized as a stalling technique. She might admit to him sometime in the near future, now that they were a couple, how endearing she though that particular habit was. "Uh, yeah, about that. See, I bought that gift for you, um, before you agreed to come to Mammoth with me. And definitely before we decided to go all in. So it's not what I would have given you if I knew we were going to end up here, literally and figuratively, together. Like together, together,"

"A safe gift," she clarified, harkening back to Joelle's words of a few days ago.

"Right," he agreed, disappointed. "Not the type of gift that says–" Deeks stopped himself.

"Not that gift that says you're the most important person in the world to me," Kensi finished. They were silent, eyes locked on each other, for several heartbeats as they both felt the weight of that statement.

Kensi recovered first and asked, a small smile gracing her face, "So what were you going to do, burn it?"

"What?" It took Deeks a moment to catch up. He shook his head, "No. I was actually trying to replace it."

"When did you have the chance to buy something else?"

"I didn't, which was only part of the problem, as it turns out. The other part was finding five minutes alone to switch them." At the look on Kensi's face, Deeks quickly added, "Not that I'm complaining. I love that we've hardly been apart since we got here. But I've been trying to figure out how to pull this off all that time."

"Me too," Kensi said quietly.

"So when I – wait, what?"

"I came out here to do the same thing," she confessed with a sigh.

Still clad in only a blanket, Kensi padded the rest of the way to the couch and sat facing Deeks, hearing the wrapping paper rustle under the pillow as she pushed against it. "I was home packing for the trip and was glad remembered to take your present, which was already wrapped, when I realized it was a safe gift. And I wasn't sure I wanted to give it to you anymore, or at least not just that, but there wasn't time to get you something else because you were coming to pick me up within the hour. And I couldn't not give you a Christmas present, especially _now_ , so I found something in my apartment that I thought would work," Kensi admitted.

The joy and excitement of listening to her story brightened Deeks' face and made him appear years younger. He nodded quickly and related his own experience, "Yes! And even then, I had to make sure it was something that would fit in the other gift's box, because I'd have to unwrap the original present and re-wrap the new one with the same paper after we got here," he laughed.

"Exactly!" Kensi said, joining in the laughter until Deeks leaned forward and kissed her. She was losing count of the number of times they'd touched lips since deciding to be bold together, but the powerful punch of emotion that accompanied each one hadn't dimmed at all.

When they parted, Deeks whispered, "So why don't we exchange both? But starting next year, no more safe gifts. Deal?"

Thrilled with the implication of his words, Kensi nodded, needing a moment to find her voice. Considering she still had her gift to Deeks pressed against her body, Kensi knew there was no way they were getting back to bed without him seeing it, so they may as well exchange them now. "Can I open mine first?"

"It's the middle of the night," he said, surprised.

"So? It's already Christmas Day," she reasoned.

Finding no fault with her logic, Deeks shrugged. "Guess we'll have more time for snowboarding later." He stuck his hand behind the pillow and pulled out a half-unwrapped shirt box. Handing it to Kensi, he said, "This is the safe one."

Tearing off the rest of the paper and removing the lid with her one free hand, Kensi found a new sweatshirt. Lifting it from the box, she saw it was emblazoned with the words, _LAPD Dept. of Athletics_.

"Safe as they come, yeah?" Deeks asked.

"A little," Kensi said. "But still my first piece of LAPD clothing, so thanks." She gave him a sweet kiss.

From behind him, Deeks presented a plastic bag to Kensi next. "I have to admit, I'm sort of nervous about this one."

Curious, Kensi peeked in and immediately smiled. She didn't even have to pull it out to know what it was. Deeks' old, worn, _Property of LAPD_ sweatshirt. When she did take it from the bag, Kensi lifted it to her face and inhaled his scent before she realized what she was doing. It had been recently laundered, but it still smelled like Deeks. She looked up, embarrassed, to find his shocked face staring back at her. "Sorry," she muttered.

Deeks cleared his throat, "Don't be. I'm, um, glad you like it."

"I do, very much. But it's your favorite. Are you sure you want to give it away?"

"Oh, believe me, I am now." Having witnessed Kensi's reaction, Deeks was already getting turned on. He knew this would be a favorite go-to memory during those nights he was alone and couldn't sleep. That and imagining her wearing it.

"Thank you, Deeks. I love it." Her kiss this time did nothing to quell his arousal. When she pulled away, Kensi said, "Your safe gift is still under the tree, would you mind getting it?"

Deeks made quick work of the giftwrap and revealed a book, _Prescription: Murder. A Drama in Three Acts._

Kensi explained, "It's a play featuring Lieutenant Columbo. That's what inspired the TV show. It's the same writers, too."

"Wow, this is great, Kens. Thanks. It may be a safe gift, but it's still pretty cool." He kissed her cheek. "Do you need to go inside and get the other one?"

She shook her head with a sly smile. "No, it's under my blanket."

"Oh?" Deeks said with obvious interest but misunderstanding.

Kensi chuckled, "No doofus, I mean I have it in the hand that's under the blanket."

"Oh," he sounded more than a little disappointed as he held out his own in expectation.

"Keep in mind the original gift was a book, so really I had no choice but to replace it with another book, you know, because of the wrapping paper," Kensi said, somewhat hesitant to reveal the item.

"Okay…" Sensing her reluctance, Deeks assured her, "Kens, whatever it is, I'm sure I'll love it."

"I think you will too, I just hope you don't take it the wrong way." With that, her hand appeared, holding a copy of _Kama Sutra_.

Deeks grabbed it from her. "Awesome!" he exclaimed, as he started flipping through the pages.

Kensi hurried on, "I only realized a few minutes ago that some men might be insulted, getting a sex guide as a gift. And that's not _at all_ what I was thinking when I chose it."

"Are you kidding me? Do you know how many times I've fantasized about you and this book since I found out Het– you owned it?"

"Really?" Kensi didn't know what surprised her more, what he just said or that he said it.

"Yeah, got me through an awful lot of nights while you were in Afghanistan." Now it was Deeks' turn to look discomfited at what he'd let slip.

Like Deeks before, Kensi was getting worked up by this revelation. "I'm here now. With you," her voice was low with desire.

"And the _Kama Sutra_ ," he reminded her, yanking at the back of his shirt to pull it over his head.

"We're not going snowboarding later, are we?"

"Kens, we'll be lucky if we can walk later," Deeks growled, moving to join her in the blanket.


	16. I Don't Want to be Your Fiancée

**AN** : Here it is folks, the last of the Densi-mber Discussions ficlets (again, not even close to 1000 words). Somehow I managed one for every week of the month, plus two extra this week. I hope everyone has a happier and healthier 2018!

* * *

"C'mon, Kensalina, tell me!"

"The whining is not attractive, babe."

"But I need to know! Wait…is it Vegas? Are we doing Las Vegas for New Year's Eve? You know I've always wanted to. They close the entire Strip to car traffic and it's like one giant block party. I hear the fireworks at midnight are phenomenal. Oh! Are we seeing Celine Dion's show while we're there?"

Kensi looked at her watch. "Considering it's ten o'clock and Vegas is a four-hour drive, no Deeks, we are not going there for the new year."

"But it's only a little over an hour by plane. Less by private jet since you can skip security."

"Damn," Kensi said, hitting her forehead with the palm of her hand. "I completely forgot about the jet we keep hangered in our backyard." She gave her fiancé a look of frustration. "No Vegas," she reiterated as she picked up the remnants of their late take-out dinner and tossed them in the trash.

"So how are we going to spend the last two hours of 2017?" Deeks wiggled his eyebrows as he approached and pulled her into his arms. "The way we couldn't spend the last two hours of 2016 because you weren't feeling up to it?"

"You know, that's not a bad idea," Kensi kissed the corner of Deeks' lips. "I'll make you a deal. Whatever time is left over after we've done what I want to do, we can spend doing…whatever you want to do."

Stepping away and rubbing his hands together in anticipation, Deeks said, "Okay then, let's get to it. Oh wait, I forgot, I don't know what _it_ is!"

"Just make sure you have your phone and I'll meet you on the couch." She headed for the fridge. "Beer or wine?"

"We still having champagne at midnight?"

"I plan on having something more than the new year to celebrate by then, so yes."

"Then wine, please."

Kensi brought the wine, a bottle opener, and two glasses to the living room and handed the bottle and opener off to Deeks. She placed the glasses on the coffee table next to his phone, which she then picked up and started fiddling with.

"We going to play Angry Birds Friends? That's so retro, Kens! And I can totally kick your ass in under an hour."

She scoffed, "First, no you couldn't. And second, no we're not."

"I think technically that should be 'First, no we're not and second, no I couldn't.' And I so could."

Kensi rolled her eyes as she sat next to Deeks on the couch, tucking his phone under her leg. She held out the glasses while he poured the wine. Taking a glass from her, Deeks clinked Kensi's and said, "To my beautiful fiancée. I can't wait to spend the next year with you. 2018 will be awesome." He leaned in and kissed her sweetly.

Kensi didn't pull far away. "And on that note…I don't want to be your fiancée any more. I want to be your wife. We're setting a wedding date, for some time in 2018."

Deeks felt Kensi press his phone into his chest. Taking it, he saw it was opened to their calendar app and his face fell. "That's what we're doing for the next two hours?"

"We were supposed to do it earlier this month, right after I got assurances from Whiting that she'll let you leave LAPD without coming after you for murder. But then you distracted me." She gave him a sly smile, "Not that I'm complaining."

Deeks smirked proudly. "That was particularly fun, wasn't it? Nothing like having my ladybird take things into her own hands to get my engine revving. Plus what you did with Whiting was good too," he winked.

Kensi's smile broadened to the one that was home to Deeks. "Then let's set a date!" She withdrew a manila file folder from behind a couch pillow and flipped it open.

"Whoa, what's that?"

"Important research."

"Can't be too important if it's not in a binder and cross-referenced like the ones Crazy Bertie makes for you."

"Correction: she makes those for _us_. And since _your mother_ goes through all that trouble, the least you will do is look through them with me when the time comes. But that time is not now. And I think you'll appreciate what I've done here to make choosing a date a little easier," she waved the folder in front of him.

"Keep talking, I'm intrigued."

"Okay, black out the following dates that we cannot get married." Kensi waited until Deeks re-opened the calendar, "March twenty-second through April fifteenth, July twenty-fifth through August eighteenth, and November sixteenth through December sixth. Though if we're not married by then, I'm not going to be very happy."

Deeks' fingers moved quickly across his phone screen. "…through December sixth." He looked up at Kensi, disappointment clear in his eyes. "Why is April sixth out of the running?" He checked the app again, "It's a Friday! I say we pick that."

Kensi was touched by his suggestion that they get married on the anniversary of the day Jason and Tracy met. "We could," she said slowly, "but I thought you might want to avoid those days."

Deeks' brows knitted together in confusion until his face lit up the moment he figured it out. "That's when Mercury will be in retrograde next year!" Kensi nodded and showed him the collection of papers. "Are those our 2018 horoscopes?" Deeks noted she'd highlighted several sections in at least three different colors. "You don't believe in astrology," he said in a slightly awed voice.

"But you do. And I know you'd never want to get married while Mercury is in retrograde, so I looked some things up. And frankly, anything that will help narrow down the choice for a date is fine by me. That said, I do love the thought of getting married on April sixth."

Deeks grimaced. "So did I. Hey, what about the following year? What's Mercury doing the first week of April then?"

"No. Absolutely not. We are not waiting sixteen months to have a small wedding on the beach, Deeks. Let's see if we can find another viable date before we have to choose between getting married in 2019 or while Mercury's in retrograde."

"2019 is sooner than leap day, at least," he tried one last argument.

"Seriously, Deeks, do you even read these things? According to this, we're practically doomed. A Leo woman and a Capricorn man shouldn't even be in a relationship, much less get married. But it also says you're reserved and like solitude while I'm social, gregarious, and like attention. I'm supposed to be full of life and you're described as a pessimist. Would it really be so terrible to get married when a planet looks like it's moving backwards?"

He shook his head, "Kensalina, I really love you for doing this for me. You're right, we'll find another day in 2018." He slid a hand around her neck and pulled her in for a tender kiss that quickly grew passionate. Deeks wanted nothing more than to spend the rest of the year making love to Kensi, but he'd promised they'd pick a wedding date first. Time to get his head back in the game.

When they broke for air, he continued in his best professor tone, "Everyone knows horoscopes aren't written in stone or meant to be taken literally when they seem to be 'wrong.' They're merely supposed to help guide us. Of course we're not doomed. We just have to work harder at our relationship sometimes. Remember early on, when we didn't think we could even be good partners? We both made a conscious effort to change a little bit, and it made all the difference." He took the pages from her and scanned them. "See, look right here, it also says you have temperamental tendencies and should refrain from that kind of approach and not be possessive in our marriage. Good advice, yeah?"

"Deeks, that's good advice for anyone."

"Ooh, problem solved, I think. Mine says, 'Singles already in love relationship and eager to tie the knot need to plan for the auspicious day from around last week of February. The planet linked with love and intimate relationship, Venus remains in a state of combustion till twenty-first of February.' Combustion, Kens, that sounds hot. Let's get married then."

"I saw that, too. But consider the timing with this from mine," Kensi pointed to another highlighted section and read aloud, "'For love birds anxious to take their relationship to the next level, the period from around the last week of February seems supportive. Newlyweds or other couples inclined to have a child are in for a supportive planetary position on this count.' And then nine months later, it says, 'With a Venus retrograde adding flavor and intensity in October and November (in Scorpio to boot) you can expect early fall to see some dynamic, exciting and potentially life changing moments arriving.' So I'm thinking we cross late February off the list of potential wedding dates, or we may end up pregnant before we planned."

"Says the woman who doesn't believe in this stuff," Deeks muttered as he updated the calendar.

"Yeah, well. I'm not too big to admit that some of these things were pretty damned accurate. At least as far as describing the past. This is from mine again, 'This entire period that has reached back as far as six years has slowly, and sometimes not so slowly, been reworking how you approach love, what you want from it, what you need from it on the very deepest levels. Fireworks without substance seldom last long as you move towards a more fulfilling, more complete attitude and awareness around intimacy.'"

"That's right, no more fireworks without substance for my girl. I'm full of substance, and I know I make you see fireworks!"

"You're such a doofus," Kensi chuckled.

"Maybe, but I see you also printed out our career, horoscopes. Anything good there? Does it tell us what we're going to do after LAPD and NCIS?"

Kensi rolled her eyes and perused the now familiar paragraphs, "Team work pays off well for you next year. But you could say that about every year since you started working with NCIS. And supposedly the end of the year will have possibilities for relocation or a change of course if you're willing. Oh, and get this, 'Your practicality and managerial skills would help you to climb yet another rung in the professional ladder.'"

"Hmm, practicality and managerial skills…maybe I need to be the next Hetty."

"You'd be a damned sight better than Mosely, that's for sure," Kensi said earnestly.

"Thanks, sugar bear." Deeks pressed a kiss to Kensi's cheek. "What about yours?"

"Better suited to last year and I hope completely wrong for next year. My job is supposed to go through several ups and downs and I should plan my career future and work towards it but not mind the present-day hardships."

"Solid advice, regardless. And so is this, 'Reflective of a year-end bonus perhaps, or a new career offer, put anything that arrives to good use…and consider the future.' Lines up with my potential end of year career change, yeah? That's good to know."

"Sure, except we we've been talking about that for a while now, Deeks. We're not deciding to do it because our horoscopes say we should."

"True, but maybe it will end up happening next year because the planets are in their proper alignment."

"I don't care why it happens, as long as it's the right move for us, personally and professionally. And the first step in all of it is getting married. So let's get back to picking the date. I don't think anything else in our horoscopes is going to help with that, so let's see what we've got."

Deeks held up the calendar. They hadn't eliminated that many options. Thinking aloud, Kensi said, "Okay, I really don't want to wait until the end of the year to be married, so anything after the mid-November retrograde is no good. And before the first one is probably too soon, so let's cross out everything before the March and April dates as well."

"That leaves us with mid-April through most of July or end of August to mid-November," Deeks summarized. "And I agree with you, the latter part of the year just seems too far away. Which leaves us with April, May, June, or July."

"Weather's hottest in June and July," Kensi said.

"But the beach will be about fifteen degrees cooler," Deeks pointed out

"And loaded with tourists," she countered.

"I know all the best beaches that the tourists never find. Plus OSP closes for two weeks in early June, so we won't have to take time off for a honeymoon. I can see it now, Kick-Ass Kensi Blye, a beautiful June bride."

Kensi smiled, "So early June?"

"Yup. Friday, Saturday, or Sunday?" Deeks asked.

"Friday or Saturday, I think. The team might not have to go to work on Monday, but the Cupcake Girls will. Morning, afternoon, or evening?"

"Evening, definitely. Watch the sunset over the water while we say our vows? Doesn't get any more magical than that."

"Sounds perfect," Kensi agreed, and their eyes locked for several seconds, the excitement at being so close to having a date almost palpable between them. "What does that leave us?"

Checking the calendar, Deeks said, "We're officially off the clock starting Sunday June third and back on Monday June eighteenth. If we want to really take a long honeymoon we can shoot for the weekend before OSP closes, when we'd typically be off already."

Kensi shook her head. "Unless something comes up, in which case the team wouldn't be able to be there."

"No bueno," Deeks concurred. "So that leaves us with Friday June eighth or Saturday June ninth."

"If we go with the eighth you'll be more likely to remember our anniversary since it's the same day of the month as your birthday," Kensi said with a small smirk.

"Kens, no matter when we get married, I would never forget the date of the best day of my life."

She was momentarily taken aback by the sincerity in Deeks' tone. "God, I love you," she whispered.

"But we probably should go with the eighth so you'll be more likely to remember my birthday," he teased.

"It was one year!" _And just like that, the moment's gone_ , Kensi thought.

"So are we done? Are Kensi and Deeks officially becoming Densi or Keeks on Friday, the eighth of June, 2018?"

"You want me to double-check some of the astrology sites to make sure they don't say anything ominous about that date in particular?" she said.

Deeks got up and headed for the kitchen while Kensi worked her phone. "Great idea. Also, you should make sure it doesn't fall on the same day as a major sporting event, or a holiday weekend, or the thirteenth…"

Kensi rolled her eyes but smiled at his last comment. Deeks had just returned when Kensi declared, "June eighth is clear on all fronts, babe. It's comfortably ensconced between Memorial Day and Father's Day; nearly two weeks between each and…our wedding." She jumped and let out a small yelp when a loud pop sounded behind her. Turning with her hand on her chest, Kensi saw that Deeks had opened the bottle of champagne reserved for toasting the new year at midnight.

Glancing at her watch, Kensi said, "Deeks! There's still more than an hour until midnight."

"True, but we just set our wedding date, my sexy bride-to-be. And as you said before, that is something worth celebrating. Also, as per our earlier agreement, I get to choose how we spend any time remaining in 2017. And I can promise you we'll be too busy to stop and pay attention to the turning over of the new year."


	17. Regrets

**AN** : A _slightly_ late-to-the-game post-ep for Spoils of War (5x19). I wasn't a viewer of NCIS: LA when Season 5 aired, which is why you didn't get this then with all the others. I know we really don't need one more. But it's been a while, so why not, right? Plus it's something to fill the gap during the winter hiatus. Inspiration for this struck a few months ago after watching The Frozen Lake (5x10) while half-asleep in the middle of the night.

* * *

She wasn't alone, but wished she was. Wished she was anywhere but in a cave in Afghanistan with a member of the Taliban holding a huge, bloody blade inches from her face. _Most people believe that we chop off their head quickly. That's not what we do. We saw their neck, slowly._ Kensi panted, unable to contain her terror.

"Hey, hey, Kensi. It's okay. You're okay. You're home, you're safe."

She allowed Deeks' soothing voice to pull her from her nightmare, only believing that's what it was when she opened her eyes and saw him. His relieved expression, more so than his words, reminded her that she was indeed home, and safe, for the first time in months.

Deeks was on his knees next to Kensi's bed, one hand gripped tightly in hers while the other stroked softly through her hair. He'd been asleep on her couch when he heard her cry out, a sound between a protest and a frightened whimper.

"Deeks?"

"Yeah, I'm here," he whispered.

"Would you…" she moved back into the center of the bed and tugged him toward her.

"Sure, of course. Whatever you need," he said as he laid down on top of the sheets. He pulled her close and wrapped his arms around her as Kensi nuzzled her face into his chest. After several minutes he felt her body relax and her breathing calm. Deeks was just beginning to let his mind wander to the pleasant memories of the last time they shared a bed when Kensi turned over, presenting her back to him.

He tried not to let the apparent dismissal bother him. "You good, Kens? I can go..."

"No, stay. I just don't want to punch you if I flail around in my sleep."

He spooned behind her, sliding his arm over her waist and threading their fingers together. "Problem solved."

Kensi pulled their joined hands toward her chest, drawing Deeks even closer. "I was going to apologize that night," she said into the darkness.

"What?" he asked, confused.

"Waiting for you to show up at the mission, just before Granger and Hetty burst our happy little bubble, I wanted to apologize for punching you."

"You don't have to –"

"Yes I do. I should have right after, but I was so livid I could barely see straight. The rest of the day was…just horrible, and the case needed to be our focus. Then I spent the night on a C-130 instead of talking to you. I'm sorry, Deeks. I never should have punched you, especially in anger like that. And certainly not in the jaw, after all your dental work."

"It's unnecessary, but thank you."

"It's not unnecessary, it's long overdue. I would have regretted dying in Afghanistan without having the chance to make that right with you."

"Did you think about that a lot?" Deeks asked when he found his voice, hoping he kept the surprise at her revelation from his tone.

"Dying?"

"Regrets. I hate to think you were feeling guilt over me."

"I thought about the decisions I'd made in my life that led to where I was. What I'd accomplished. What I'd missed out on." She added softly, "I had a bunch of regrets about you."

"Oh." _That hurts,_ Deeks thought _._ But then, he had some huge regrets from his time there as well. He considered telling Kensi that he tortured the cleric because he thought she was dead but was worried about her reaction. Hell, he still had serious concerns about his own reactions that day.

Deeks was afraid to ask, but did anyway, "Like what?"

Kensi flipped back over so she could see his face and gently ran a finger across his jawline, "Guilt over punching you was a big one. Disappointment that we hadn't gotten to our thing sooner, that we'd wasted so much time avoiding it. Grief that I'd never know what we could have had. Sadness that I hadn't realized before then that I was falling in love with you too."

"Oh." He was sure he didn't hide his amazement this time.

"Which is why I'm so sorry now too." She took a deep breath and let it out quickly. "About our thing…I can't, not just yet. I hope you don't think I'm leading you on tonight, asking you into my bed. But I don't think it's a good idea for me to be starting something –"

"No, I get it. You're right. I remember what it was like. When I kissed you that first time, all I wanted was to figure things out with you. But then after…Sidorov, the pain and darkness I felt kind of snuffed out all that happiness for a while. A long while. Don't worry, Kens. Our thing will be there when you're ready. No pressure."

"Thanks," she sighed, relieved.

"Can you do me a favor until then?"

"Sure."

"Don't shut me out while you're going through this. My biggest regret from that time was not letting you in. I think my recovery would have been easier if you'd been there with me, like you tried to be. I want to be here for you, Kensi. As your friend and your partner. Nothing more unless and until you say so."

"I can do that."

"Good. Great."

"On that note, I think after tonight I'll be good here by myself."

"Okay. But I'll only be a phone call away."

"I know," she said on a yawn.

"Time to get back to sleep, yeah?"

She nodded into his chest. Several minutes later Deeks thought she was asleep and was about to let himself drift off when he heard Kensi whisper, "They weren't all regrets, you know. When things were at their worst, thinking of you helped. I remembered how you made me laugh, the ways you challenged me, how you've always had my back. Our night together. Everything. It's what got me through. For whatever it's worth."

He pressed his lips to her hair. "It's worth everything, Kensi."


	18. A Good Day

**AN** : Just a random discussion that popped into my head a while ago. After the darkness of last night's ep, here's a little bit of light. Takes place sometime in the not-too-distant future. Spoilers for The Silo (9x07).

* * *

Pulling into their garage, every minute of the past day seemed to hover over Kensi, a weight as heavy as if had taken physical form. Yet peaceful and comforting just the same. Her hand fell to her thigh after turning off the engine and moved no further.

"Don't get me wrong, I could definitely fall asleep right here too, but we'll be much more comfortable if we make it to bed," Deeks muttered, exhaustion clear in his voice.

Kensi smiled slightly. Those were his first words since leaving work. His uncharacteristic silence, owing to the slumber he'd fallen into almost immediately, left Kensi time for reflection on the drive home. Now that she'd followed her thoughts to their logical conclusion, she was ready to talk but Deeks wanted to sleep.

"It was a good day, wasn't it?" Kensi asked, hoping he wasn't too far gone for this discussion.

"Good?" he muttered on a yawn. "Twenty-four hours running around LA trying to find a Marine suspected of selling military secrets only to find it was his neighbor setting him up. Not exactly the most exciting thing we've done recently."

"Right, but we used solid investigative techniques to discover the truth, kept an innocent man from prison, found the real guilty party, and got her to confess. And we didn't have to draw our weapons once. I'd say that's a good end to a day."

Deeks shrugged, "I guess. But I can think of a better way to end it. After we get some rest, I'd be willing to show you."

"Looking forward it," she grinned. Sliding her hand from her own thigh to his, Kensi asked, "You remember our talk on the roof, after I got back from Colorado?"

"Uh, yeah. Sure." Deeks couldn't hide his confusion at the change in topic.

"I asked how long we were going to keep this up."

"Neither of us seemed to have an answer."

"That's not entirely true," she corrected. "You'd have walked away that night if I'd said I was ready, wouldn't you?"

"Yes."

"And I didn't understand why, but I knew I couldn't then."

When Kensi explained no further, Deeks took a moment to study her. She was as physically drained as he. But there was something else in her eyes. A subtle excitement. He sat up straighter, recognizing the need to pay closer attention.

"Kens?" he finally prompted.

"I figured it out. Why I didn't quit that night. Why I couldn't just walk away, after calling you to say goodbye in case I died."

"The hardest thing you ever did," he whispered.

She nodded. "That was a bad day. A bad assignment that didn't end well."

"You stopped a nuclear holocaust, Kensi. I'd say that was a pretty good outcome."

She shook her head, "Someone I'd once known was determined to start World War Three, and I was willing to die to stop it. Instead I killed him and shattered his sister." Kensi blinked slowly, the weariness creeping up under the weight of the memory. "And I hurt you."

Deeks covered Kensi's hand in gentle support.

"But it occurred to me today that the reason I couldn't leave then was because it would have felt like we were running away. That the only reason we'd left was because something bad almost happened."

"There's no shame in that, baby."

"No, but that's not how I want my time at NCIS to end." She shrugged. "It's like I had something to prove, so I couldn't quit after Syria, or Ferris, or Colorado, no matter how much part of me wanted to. Even though I had something to look forward to, not run away from. Does that make sense?"

Deeks picked up their hands and kissed the back of Kensi's before speaking. "Yeah, it does."

She smiled and repeated, "Today was a good day."

He knew the time it took him to make the connection was directly related to how dog-tired he was, and even then Deeks wasn't confident he understood. "Kens, what are you saying?"

"It hit me that today was a damned good day. No car chases, no one trying to kill or blow us up. If every day was like that, with cases like this, we wouldn't need to leave. We could have kids and not be afraid one of us might be killed. It feels good to come home, albeit tired, after a day like today, doesn't it? And know you could do it all again tomorrow, without wondering if it's time to get out."

"Okay, can I admit I'm totally lost? A few seconds ago I thought you were about to say you're ready to leave, but now you sound like you never want to go."

"I realized I want to walk away on a high note, Deeks. I don't want to decide to quit because I'm afraid to go back, or we had another close call, or because I'm worried I can't handle it anymore. I want a good day, where I can say I had a great career, I've had a positive impact, and I'll miss it, but I'm ready to move onto to the next incredible thing in my life."

"And today was that good day?"

Kensi nodded resolutely, "Yes."

"So just to clarify, you're saying you want to leave NCIS?"

"Only if you're ready to leave LAPD too."

"You are prepared to write up our letters of resignation, hand them in tomorrow, and figure out the next incredible thing in your life?"

"Well, I'm pretty sure I already know what that'll be." Now Kensi kissed Deeks' hand. "But work-wise, yeah, let's decide what else we want to do."

Deeks smiled brightly, "Then let's do it. Sleep first, though."

"What about showing me a better way to end a good day?" she teased.

Deeks pulled Kensi close and kissed her. "Princess, after we're done, you're going to reclassify this as a great day."

He knew it already was for him.


	19. I Was Wrong

**AN** : Post-ep for To Live or Die in Mexico (10x01). Just a little more of that conversation Deeks and Kensi have at the end of the episode. I think this might be the shortest thing I've ever written, and definitely one of the quickest. Guess that's the one benefit to feeling so crappy that I couldn't go to work today.

* * *

Mindful that leaning her head against Deeks' for too long might hurt him, Kensi reluctantly pulled away. She felt his fingers grasp hers tighter, as if worried she would remove her hand from him as well.

She had no intention of doing that.

Deeks had just given Kensi the greatest gifts she could have asked for: his assurances that he still wanted her. That the swelling his brain suffered hadn't impacted him in terrifying and unthinkable ways. That he needed to be with her and wanted to marry her and give her everything he had in this life.

Kensi was well aware the clock had been reset on that life today. She wanted to give him everything she had as well; and she would start now, unwilling to waste the time they were given back.

"So how pregnant was I in this dream of yours?"

His smile was bright, not the small one he offered when he'd asked for a sponge bath a minute ago, when they were both still unsure of where they stood. After Deeks' declaration there was no more uncertainty for either of them.

"I'm not really an expert on those things. But it looked like you swallowed that basketball-sized aspirin I need."

"What were we doing—was I in labor?"

"Nah, we were at home, but you weren't giving birth there," he smirked. "It was just a perfect lazy morning. We'd just woken up and I asked you how he was doing, and then I slid over to kiss and talk to your belly."

"He?"

Deeks' eyes widened as if he had also just grasped what he'd said, "Yeah, I guess it was a boy."

"Huh."

"What? I thought you wanted a boy. If…you know—"

"I believe my exact words were that I thought I'd be a great mom to a boy. But I know you really want a girl, so I think it's a little strange that we'd be having a boy in your dream."

"Must have been the concussion."

"Or maybe it was more of a premonition than a dream," Kensi teased.

"What, you think because my brain swelled I developed psychic powers?" Deeks asked, getting excited. "That'd be cool. I could solve all the cases from ops and we'd never have to leave the office."

She grew serious, "I wonder if because of your injury, because you were…maybe close to death, that you got to see something to entice you to stick around. It doesn't really matter though, because what I'm trying to say is that I was wrong too, Deeks. It's not going to be _if_ we have kids, but when."

"You sure?"

She nodded quickly. "I want a family with you. Don't ever doubt that. So if there's a problem, if there's some reason why it's not happening for us the usual way, I swear to you we will find another way to have that baby."

Deeks closed his eyes and swallowed, needing to absorb what Kensi had just promised. When he looked at her again, there was a glint in his eye. "Just one? Because, you know, a little boy for you and a little girl for me would be pretty perfect."

She laughed, "Why don't we cross that bridge when we get to it."

He couldn't contain his smile. "I love you, Kens."

"I love you too, Deeks." She'd uttered those words so many times already today, but she could never say it enough.

"And just so you know, I really was serious about that sponge bath."

Kensi gave him a quick kiss. "As soon as we get you home, I promise."


	20. Best Laid Wedding Plans

**AN** : Do we really believe after all this time Kensi and Deeks don't even have a date for the wedding? Okay, so maybe they don't… Post-ep for "The Prince" (10x03). Previously published at wikiDeeks.

* * *

Deeks handed Kensi a beer as they sat down to eat the Korean barbecue they'd picked up on the way home. It had been a day of secrets and some revelations, and he was anxious to talk about it with his fiancée away from the prying eyes and ears of everything NCIS.

"So tell me, how close did you come to popping a cap in Joelle's ass when she went running toward Prince Kamal?"

"Please, she was in my sights from the moment I got situated up there. She's lucky I didn't shoot her for what she did to Callen," Kensi scoffed.

"Beale told me Nell pulled a gun on her in ops. You two mama bears are so protective of your little G-Bear."

"I bet if Hetty had been around then, Joelle's death wouldn't have been fake."

"Yeah, what's up with that, Callen not telling us about it?"

Kensi shrugged, "Not sure. But I was glad you let him off the hook relatively easily. I mean, it's not like we haven't been keeping a little secret of our own."

"Yeah, I can't wait to see the looks on their faces when we summon them to the boatshed and they figure out what's about to happen," Deeks grinned.

"The boatshed! I thought we agreed it would be at the beach?"

"How are we going to get them all to some random spot on the beach?"

"By sending them the coordinates, just like we talked about."

"Wait, you were serious about that?"

"Of course. It's not like we can bring everyone else to the boatshed."

"I don't see why not. Practically every bad guy in LA, not to mention at least two CIA agents whose motives are consistently questionable, knows about that place. I don't see a problem with bringing in a handful of civilians. Besides, if we do it on the beach they'll figure it out a hundred yards away and we won't get to see their expressions."

"It's our wedding, Deeks. I'd think you'd be more interested in seeing me than our guests."

"No, yeah, of course I'll be riddled with anticipation waiting to see you, princess. But the stunned expressions of our team, including she-who-knows-all-except-this Hetty Lange, when they realize we planned and got them all to a surprise wedding without them having a clue will help quell those butterflies in my stomach." When Kensi remained unconvinced, Deeks continued, "I'll take pictures, I swear!"

"This is just another reason to rent a small party tent like I wanted to."

"You may have a point there," Deeks conceded. "Okay, so that's the one last thing we need to agree on, aside from the date."

"Check," Kensi said as she started ticking off items on her fingers. "We have our marriage license. You've got your suit and I have my dress. The food truck's reserved, cake order is placed, and permits are approved for both of the possible dates, and your judge friend is available either day as well."

"The only thing we need now is for the Cupcake Girls to figure out which weekend they're all free for what they and the moms think will be your bridal shower, and we'll have the most magical and mysteried marital moment ever."

"Thankfully both dates are long before when your mother expects to go blind," Kensi chuckled.

"You know the next thing she'll be on us about is giving her grandchildren while she can still watch them grow up," Deeks said, then cocked his head. "Maybe she needs to start practicing how to feel people's faces to 'see' what they look like."

Kensi laughed as she placed a hand over Deeks'. "This really was a great idea, babe. I'm glad we decided to ditch the big wedding plans in lieu of the smaller one we originally talked about."

"And you can't deny I'm much more involved now that it's fun—er, now that we've made a little game of it by trying to keep everyone in the dark until the last possible minute. Best laid wedding plans ever," he said gleefully, "which will not go awry."

"After the secret Callen, Sam, and I'm betting Nell kept from us about Joelle, I won't feel the least bit guilty about sending the team a text letting them think we're in trouble just to get them there."

"Oh! If we get a tent, they'll come in guns a-blazing and we won't have to worry about my mom going blind because she'll have a heart attack and die right there."

"So we have the team show up before the moms and the Cupcake Girls are due to arrive. Problem solved."

"Good thinking, my beautiful bride-to-be," Deeks gave Kensi a quick kiss. "Speaking of, I thought you were going to blow it today, going on about everything we still need to do. A little over the top, don't you think?"

"Hey, you started it, saying you hadn't found a tux. I was just following your lead, partner. We were doing fine all day, truthfully letting it be known we still don't have a date selected to make everyone believe the wedding isn't any time soon and then you go and start with the ad libs."

"What are you talking about? That was masterful vamping. Sam's suit came up, so it was only natural I mention my wedding apparel, or lack thereof, to further sell our little ruse. But in the meantime, why don't you follow my lead again," Deeks picked up his phone. "While I research a tent for the wedding, you can reach out to the Tiffanies et al to see if they settled on the date yet. I know in either case it's less than two months away, but I can't wait to find out when I'm going to become your husband."

Kensi beamed and returned his kiss before grabbing her own phone, as eager as Deeks to have the last detail of their wedding plans finally in place.


	21. A Name for the Bar

**AN:** I can't believe it's been four months since I've posted anything here. Unfortunately real life gets in the way of the things I'd rather be doing sometimes. I have been writing the occasional "Kensi's Journal" for wikiDeeks, though, to keep from getting too rusty. If you want to read my take on what's been going through Kensi's mind after the last several episodes, head over there.

This little scene was written in about 20 minutes and was originally posted as "The Ficlet With No Name" on tumblr about five minutes before "Into the Breach" (10x16) aired and was inspired by glenncoco4's prediction for the episode.

* * *

Deeks' phone rang about five minutes into his conversation with Mr. Kelly. Seeing the caller, he dove right in as soon as he answered. "Kens, look, I have a small issue at the bar. Can you cover for me at work for a while?"

"Uh, actually, we were just called out on case. Nicole's involved though, so I'm sure I can work with her. What's the problem?"

"A very wise looking gentleman from the Department of Public Health is here. It seems we need to actually have a name for the bar before they can finalize all our permits. Listen, I know you weren't thrilled with any of the ones I came up with, but despite what you said the name has not in fact written itself, whatever that even meant. So which was the least offensive name to you?"

Kensi grimaced, glad he couldn't see her. "Monty's wasn't bad. I mean, at least then it'd be named after someone we know and love. And as much as I hate to say it, he won't be around forever, so one day it'll be like a tribute to him. A way to always remember our fur-baby. But any name you pick will be fine, Deeks. I'm sure whatever it is will grow on me."

"You mean the way I did."

"No, baby, I'm sure I'll like the name of the bar much sooner than I liked you," she joked before bidding him good luck and hanging up.

Deeks never made it into the field that day. Like all bureaucracies, the wheels of the DPH were greased with copious amount of paperwork and not a nominal amount of fees. Though he lost a day at work, he completed everything Mr. Kelly demanded of him, and their bar now had not only a name, but all of its necessary permits.

He'd just opened a beer to celebrate his accomplishment when Kensi entered the bar. "Good day?" he asked.

"You know how it is, saved the world again. No biggie," she shrugged. "But I will take one of those," she said, pointing to his bottle and settling on a barstool. "So, will we be welcoming people to Monty's for the next twenty years?"

"Actually no," Deeks said, suddenly nervous.

Kensi's face fell for an instant before she put on the sincerest smile she could, "The Blow Hole?" She hoped not, because she really hated that name.

"No. And you'll be happy to know that while the name did not write itself, _you_ helped me come up with the name."

"Oh?"

"You're right—it should be a tribute to someone know and love," he said as he opened a folder and turned it so Kensi could read the name on the permit.

Kensi gasped when she saw what was written. "Don's," she whispered.

"I was thinking we could make a wall of remembrance, with your dad's picture, and the pictures of other service members, agents, and cops we know and love who deserve to be honored. Like Michelle, Granger, Hidoko, to name just our most recent losses."

When Kensi didn't lift her eyes from the page in front of her, Deeks said worriedly, "Kens? Say something. Did I really screw this up?"

She finally looked up at him with tears in her eyes, "No Deeks, you did good. You did great, actually. I love it. And I love you. Thank you for this, it's perfect."


End file.
